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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24273595">Never Tear Us Apart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentmoon223/pseuds/crescentmoon223'>crescentmoon223</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Two Worlds Collide [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Fall (TV 2013), The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, S/S Wedding, Yes Really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:20:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,734</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24273595</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentmoon223/pseuds/crescentmoon223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stella and Scully face unexpected joy - and heartbreak - as their wedding day approaches.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stella Gibson/Dana Scully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Two Worlds Collide [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1645060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <i>This fic is set directly after the epilogue of <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/18230213/chapters/43132280">Two Worlds Collide</a> (and I strongly recommend that you read it first if you haven't yet to avoid major spoilers!) A quick refresher on my original characters:</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Fran Kingsley is Stella's former boss and mentor and is now one of Stella's dearest friends. Fran is 100% inspired by Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens in Killing Eve (visual inspiration <a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/post/186250299898/two-worlds-collide-chapter-6">here</a>.)</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Stephen Chen was a brand new officer in 1998 when he helped Stella catch Alissa Pine's killer. He's now been promoted to DSI and is one of Stella's most trusted friends.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>And just a reminder that in the TWC epilogue, when we jump ahead to 2019, Stella has now been promoted to Chief Superintendent. Scully has left her job as a forensic pathologist and accepted a staff position at the local university to teach forensics, although she still consults with the Met on occasion when they needed an expert opinion.</i>
</p><p>I was standing<br/>You were there<br/>Two worlds collided<br/>And they could never ever tear us apart<br/>~ Bishop Briggs, Never Tear Us Apart<br/>(songwriting credit to Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence of INXS)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>June 2019</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A sapphire and a diamond.</em>
</p><p>The gems swam before Scully’s sleep-blurred eyes. She blinked them into focus, at the same time registering Stella’s fingers tracing up and down her spine. She’d woken this way more times than she could count over the last seven years, although the rings on her finger were new, a tangible manifestation of the love she and Stella had found together.</p><p>Smiling, she tucked her left hand beneath the sheet before Stella saw what she’d done. It had been over a week since they’d returned home from Wyoming, nine days since Stella proposed, and Scully had spent most of it staring at the sapphire on her finger, or at least it felt that way, because she still couldn’t quite believe it was real, that this was her life now.</p><p>She would be Stella’s wife. Stella would be <em>her</em> wife.</p><p>This summer promised all kinds of unexpected joy, with a wedding to plan and a visit from her son to look forward to. The first thing she’d done once they got back to London was to withdraw from the summer courses she was scheduled to teach, giving herself the whole summer off to focus on these upcoming events. The second was to choose a ring for Stella.</p><p>Stella had always told Scully that blue was her color, but if she had to choose a color for Stella, it was…well, not a color but a gemstone. Stella was a diamond; rare, expensive, breathtakingly beautiful, and sharp enough to cut glass. Last night, before Scully fell asleep, she’d slipped a diamond ring onto her finger beside the sapphire Stella had given her, anticipating this moment.</p><p>She’d given it a lot of thought, deciding when and where to do this, and while she had her own selfish reason for choosing this particular morning, everything else about the moment belonged to Stella. Scully knew how much she treasured these first moments of the day, when she was still relaxed and languid from sleep, when it was just the two of them enjoying the simple pleasures of morning sex and coffee in the oasis of their bedroom, before she had to button up and be the impenetrable Chief Superintendent Gibson.</p><p>Stella’s fingers dipped beneath Scully’s pajama top, splaying over her bare skin, warm and soft. Scully rolled to face her, sliding closer for a kiss as she wrapped an arm around Stella, anchoring herself in their embrace.</p><p>“Morning,” Stella murmured against her lips.</p><p>“Morning.” Scully held her close, savoring the warmth of Stella’s body, the contentment that filled her from starting her day this way. It was the best feeling in the world.</p><p>But Stella was never one to linger over a lazy morning in bed. Neither was Scully, for that matter. Already, their hands were roaming beneath the blanket. Scully’s fingers slipped under the hem of Stella’s nightgown, drawing slow, teasing circles over her stomach as Stella pushed at Scully’s sleep shorts, helping her to slide them down her legs.</p><p>Between kisses, they rid each other of their pajamas, bodies coming together in the soft morning light. Scully rolled on top of Stella, straddling her thigh as she began to stroke her. Generally, Stella preferred to take charge during these moments, to be the one on top, but Scully was on a mission this morning, following her own script. She circled Stella’s clit, drawing a sigh from her lips as Stella sank into the mattress, surrendering to Scully’s touch.</p><p>She worked with an expertise two decades in the making, knowing exactly how to touch Stella’s body to give her the most pleasure, how to make her gasp and pant and moan. Scully bent her head to take one of Stella’s nipples into her mouth, swirling her tongue as she mimicked the action with her fingers. Beneath her, Stella’s back arched, her eyes fluttering shut. Scully teased her until Stella’s fingernails bit into her back, a silent plea for more.</p><p>She bit down on Stella’s nipple as she pushed two fingers inside her, curling them to stroke Stella’s G-spot as Stella moved against Scully’s palm, working herself quickly toward release. Scully rocked against Stella’s thigh, chasing her own release but keeping herself in check until she’d done what she needed to do.</p><p>“Dana,” Stella gasped, clawing at her, and she was close. Scully could tell. She could <em>always</em> tell.</p><p>She threaded the fingers of her left hand through Stella’s right, squeezing them tight as she angled their hands just the way she wanted. She stilled her right hand, fingers buried deep inside Stella’s body, and that got her attention all right. Stella’s eyes popped open, and Scully saw the moment she realized what was happening.</p><p>Tears glittered in Stella’s eyes, and her bottom lip began to tremble as she stared at the diamond ring nestled next to the sapphire she’d given Scully.</p><p>“Stella Gibson,” she whispered. “Marry me.”</p><p>“Yes.” Her fingers clasped Scully’s, tugging her forward so that their bodies pressed together. She could feel Stella’s heart pounding beneath her. Scully’s beat just as fast. They were already engaged, so there’d been no real fear of rejection, but still this moment felt loaded, intense, <em>wonderful</em>.</p><p>“I love you so much,” Scully murmured against her lips as she began to work Stella again with her right hand, giving her what she needed.</p><p>“Love you too.” Stella tore her gaze from the rings, staring into Scully’s eyes as she came, her body clenching around Scully’s fingers. She ground herself against Stella’s thigh until she followed her over the edge. The bedroom filled with the sounds of their release, moans and gasps and the slip of skin against sheets.</p><p>Scully straightened as she caught her breath, still straddling Stella. She withdrew her hand, bringing her glistening fingers to her mouth as she sucked them clean. Below her, Stella watched, bottom lip pinched between her teeth, as Scully slid the diamond ring off her own finger and onto Stella’s.</p><p>Tears spilled over Stella’s lids as she looked at it. The diamond sparkled as it caught the morning sunlight. “It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.</p><p>“They look good together, don’t they?” Scully linked their fingers so they could see the rings side by side, blue and white.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>She rolled to lay beside Stella. The sheet was twisted around them, while the duvet dangled from one corner of the bed. Downstairs, the coffee machine—awoken by its timer—began to bubble. Stella sighed as her fingers toyed with Scully’s hair. It was the sigh of a woman at peace with the world.</p><p>“Thank you,” she said. “That was perfect.”</p><p>“I’m glad,” Scully told her. “I hoped you would think so.”</p><p>“You know what I like. I wasn’t worried.”</p><p>“Not even a little bit?” Scully teased, because Stella notoriously hated surprises, even though Scully was fairly sure she’d only ever given her good ones.</p><p>“All right, maybe a little bit,” Stella conceded. “But only because it’s difficult for me when I don’t know what’s coming.”</p><p>“I know.” Scully kissed her again. “Should we talk about the wedding now?” The unspoken agreement between them had been that they wouldn’t discuss it until after Scully had proposed.</p><p>“I think we’re past the age of white dresses and all that, don’t you?” Stella said, her free hand trailing up and down Scully’s right arm, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. “I don’t want a big to-do. I just want to make it legal.”</p><p>“I agree, but I do want more than a trip to the courthouse.”</p><p>“Do you?” Stella looked mildly surprised at this.</p><p>“Yes,” Scully told her, because she’d given this a good amount of thought, and it was important to her. “The courthouse can be romantic for some people, but I’ve spent too much time there for work over the years. It means trials and subpoenas and injustice to me. I don’t want to get married there.”</p><p>“Okay,” Stella gave. “What <em>do</em> you want, then?”</p><p>“Just to elope with you somewhere simple and private. What do you think?”</p><p>A smile touched Stella’s lips. “I can live with that.”</p><p>“And I have to invite my mom,” Scully told her. “We’ll need a witness anyway.”</p><p>“Maggie would never forgive us if we married without her, would she?” Stella looked at the ring on her finger. Her own mother had passed away two years ago, and despite their troubled relationship, Scully imagined it must be hard not having her here for this.</p><p>“I’m sorry your mom can’t be there,” she said quietly.</p><p>Stella gave her head a quick shake. “She would have made everything complicated, but Maggie…you’re right. She should be there. I’ll be glad to have her there.”</p><p>Stella and Maggie had gotten along from the moment they met, but they’d grown closer over the years. Maggie fussed over Stella in a motherly way, perhaps the first time in her life that anyone truly had, and it absolutely melted Scully’s heart every time she saw them together. “Is there anyone you’d like to invite?”</p><p>Stella opened her mouth, probably about to give a quick ‘no,’ but then she paused with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Fran and Mitch.”</p><p>“Yes,” Scully agreed quickly. They were was the closest thing Stella had to family, and Scully had been hoping to convince her to invite them. “Definitely.”</p><p>“I think that will do, don’t you?” Stella asked, something guarded in her expression now, as if she feared the guest list might snowball from here.</p><p>“Yes. My mom, Fran, and Mitch. It will be perfect. Actually…” She grinned as inspiration struck. “Didn’t you tell me that Fran married one of your colleagues a few years ago, that she performed the ceremony?”</p><p>“Mm, she did,” Stella said.</p><p>“Then she must be ordained. Maybe she can marry us?” She watched as Stella softened, everything tense and guarded leaking out of her at the thought of her dearest friend being the one to marry them.</p><p>“I’ll ask her.”</p><p>“My mom’s coming up for a week at the end of August. Want to get married while she’s here?” That gave them about two months to plan things.</p><p>“Okay,” Stella agreed.</p><p>“Look at that, we just planned a wedding.” She gave Stella’s hand a squeeze.</p><p>“And now I have to go to work,” Stella told her as she sat up.</p><p>“You’re coming home to change before the ceremony tonight, right?”</p><p>Stella paused, laughing under her breath. “That’s why you proposed this morning.”</p><p>Scully shrugged, but she couldn’t hide her grin. “Maybe.”</p><p>“Well, if you were hoping to generate excitement amongst my colleagues tonight with your ring on my finger, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” She leaned in to give Scully a kiss. “And yes, I’m coming home to change first, so we can ride over together.”</p><p>“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”</p><p>* * *</p><p>The room was overflowing with uniforms, but Scully only had eyes for one. Stella stood on a small platform at the front of the room, where she had just finished speaking. Tonight, the Metropolitan police was celebrating the accolades of its officers; promotions, medals of valor, and even a few retirements. As Chief Superintendent, the highest-ranking officer in her division, Stella had done the honors.</p><p>Halfway through her third glass of wine, Scully’s spirits were high as she watched her fiancée shake hands with each officer being celebrated tonight, offering her congratulations. Stella wore her Met uniform, a crisply pressed black jacket emblazoned with her own accolades over her white uniform blouse, tie knotted at her throat, and a fitted black skirt. Scully sipped her wine. What was it about a woman in a tie? Or in particular, <em>this</em> woman in a tie?</p><p>Stella wore her hair pulled back in a neat twist, a few blonde strands having escaped to frame her face. Add in the diamond winking from her left ring finger, and Scully was done for. She’d always had a thing for authority figures, after all. It was one of the reasons she’d been drawn to Stella when they first met in that field so many years ago.</p><p>“How are you, Dana?”</p><p>She turned to find Stella’s colleague and friend, Stephen Chen, standing beside her, beer in hand. “I’m great, Stephen. How are you?”</p><p>“No complaints,” he said with an easy smile. A dark-haired woman in a uniform identical to Stella’s—although with fewer stripes on the breast pocket and lacking the superintendent’s emblem—approached from the direction of the bar. She came to stand beside Stephen, and he rested a hand against her lower back. “Have you met my wife, Marisol?”</p><p>“I haven’t,” she said, extending a hand. She’d been thrilled when Stella told her Stephen had finally met someone new. “Dana Scully.”</p><p>“Marisol Cardenas,” she said warmly.</p><p>“Dana is Stella’s partner,” Stephen told his wife, and Marisol’s smile widened.</p><p>“Oh, it’s extra lovely to meet you,” she said. “I have so much respect for Stella. I only know her peripherally, but Stephen has been singing her praises since we met.”</p><p>“She’s the one who hired me,” he said, glancing in Stella’s direction, admiration and affection written clearly on his face. “She made me the officer I am today.”</p><p>“And she thinks the world of you,” Scully told him. There were few people that Stella respected or trusted as completely as Stephen Chen.</p><p>As if she’d sensed herself the topic of conversation, Stella glanced in their direction. She shook one final hand, and then she headed toward them, weaving her way through the crowded room with her unfaltering, purposeful stride.</p><p>“Hi,” she said when she reached them, her hand sliding into Scully’s as she leaned in to press a quick kiss against her cheek.</p><p>“Hi yourself,” Scully told her, fighting the urge to grin like an idiot, heart racing, fireworks going off in her stomach because she was <em>bursting</em> to share their news, but she’d been waiting for Stella. This was her event, these were her colleagues, and tonight, it was her news to share.</p><p>Stella’s lips twitched, clearly having guessed Scully’s thoughts. Always more prone to show than tell, Stella lifted her left hand to toy with her hair, angling it so the ring caught the light…and Marisol’s attention.</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t realize you and Dana were engaged,” Marisol exclaimed. “How wonderful.”</p><p>Stephen’s eyes rounded. “What?” His gaze found the ring on Stella’s finger, and for a moment, Scully thought he might actually drop his beer. “Holy shit, Stella.”</p><p>She smirked. “Surprise.”</p><p>“I…I’m speechless,” Stephen said, his gaze now having located the sapphire on Scully’s left hand.</p><p>“If I’d known a simple piece of jewelry could render you speechless…” Stella quipped.</p><p>“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Stephen pulled her in for an impulsive hug, giving her several hearty pats on the back.</p><p>“Don’t you dare spill your beer on me,” she threatened, but there was laughter in her eyes.</p><p>Stephen released her and pulled Scully in for a hug. “This is the best news I’ve heard all year,” he said as he stepped back.</p><p>“Thank you,” Stella told him earnestly, giving Scully’s hand a squeeze.</p><p>“So, when’s the big day?” he asked.</p><p>“Late August,” she told him. “Just a small elopement.”</p><p>“Exactly what I would picture for you,” he said. “Well, if you couldn’t tell, I’m thrilled for you both. Congratulations.”</p><p>“What are we celebrating over here?” another officer asked, moving in to stand beside Stephen.</p><p>“Stella and Dana are getting married,” he announced—a bit too loudly as it turned out, because everyone in their vicinity turned toward them, eyes wide and smiles even wider.</p><p>The next thing Scully knew, they were surrounded, as Stella’s colleagues moved in to offer their congratulations. After all, it wasn’t every day the illustrious Stella Gibson got engaged, and everyone here was already in a celebratory mood. But after a while, Scully was starting to second guess her timing. They’d been surrounded by well-wishing Met officers—and their spouses—for at least a half an hour, and Stella was starting to show the strain.</p><p>She gripped Scully’s hand, fingernails biting into her palm as she leaned in to whisper in her ear, “You’re going to pay for this later.”</p><p>“Sorry,” she murmured.</p><p>“I need a drink,” Stella muttered, and that was when Scully noticed that while she’d already polished off three glasses of wine, Stella—who’d walked straight off the stage into this engagement chaos—hadn’t had any refreshment yet. And this, Scully could fix.</p><p>“Be right back,” she told Stella before hurrying to the bar that had been set up in back. She ordered Stella a scotch and brought it to her, glad to see that the crowd around her finally seemed to be dissipating.</p><p>Stella sipped scotch between conversations, seeming to relax a bit as the alcohol hit her system. When the detective she’d been talking to excused himself, Stella tossed back what remained of her drink. “Let’s get out of here.”</p><p>“Leaving so soon?” Scully asked, hoping Stella wasn’t upset, because the celebration around them was still going in full swing.</p><p>“I think it’s safe to say we’ve already spoken to everyone here, wouldn’t you?”</p><p>Scully darted a glance around the room, not seeing a single face she hadn’t talked to tonight. “Yes.”</p><p>“All right, then.” Stella set down her empty glass and ducked through an unmarked door, drawing Scully into an empty hallway that led to a back stairwell. They made a quick exit, and Stella was already summoning an Uber on her phone as they walked into the parking lot.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” Scully said.</p><p>“Are you?” Stella cocked an eyebrow at her, but she didn’t sound angry. Just frustrated…which was something Scully could <em>definitely</em> take care of for her when they got home.</p><p>“Not entirely.” She answered Stella’s question with a wicked grin.</p><p>“That’s what I thought.” Stella pressed her against the side of the building, kissing her hard. For several delicious minutes, Scully’s world was distilled to the hot pleasure of Stella’s mouth, the slide of her tongue and the scrape of her teeth.</p><p>A black sedan pulled into the parking lot, and Stella pulled back, breathing heavily as she checked her phone. She compared the license plate with the information provided by the app before leading Scully toward the car. “To be continued,” she said as she opened the door.</p><p>“Oh, hell yes,” Scully murmured in her ear as she slid into the car. “The only thing I like better than seeing you in uniform is taking you out of it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you guys SO MUCH for all your lovely comments, tweets, etc. since I posted chapter one! You seriously have no idea how much I appreciate it. I am loosely hoping to post a chapter a day until we reach the end, so check back soon! :) (but don't hold me to it in case life gets crazy haha). xx</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were quiet in the car. Even the driver kept his mouth shut, seemingly intimidated by Stella’s uniform. He was young, probably half her age, and driving far too slowly, as if he feared she might write him a ticket from the backseat, when all she wanted was for him to step on the gas so she could get Scully home and fuck her senseless. He darted a nervous glance at her in the rearview mirror, hands gripping the steering wheel. She narrowed her eyes at him.</p><p>“Stop it,” Scully whispered in her ear.</p><p>Stella gave her a questioning look. “Stop what?”</p><p>“You’re terrifying him,” Scully whispered with a laugh.</p><p>Stella scoffed, but maybe she’d been enjoying toying with him, just a bit. It gave her a sense of power she’d always desired, and in fact, there was a time when she might have invited him in after her drove her home, but those days were long gone.</p><p>There was only one person whose touch she craved now. She transferred her attention to Scully, who was watching her with the kind of look that made Stella instantaneously wet. She didn’t particularly care for wearing her uniform. It was hot and uncomfortable, and she absolutely hated the tie. Why did anyone willingly knot a length of fabric around their throat?</p><p>But it turned Scully on, and <em>that</em> turned Stella on. She reached up to loosen the knot at her neck, watching as Scully’s eyes tracked her hand. Stella lingered there, toying with the tie, getting off on Scully watching her. She slid her hand down the front of her jacket, smoothing it over her waist.</p><p>Scully stared at Stella’s hand, now resting over her lap, and warmth bloomed between her thighs, as if heated by Scully’s gaze. Slowly, she drew her hand from her own lap to Scully’s, resting it over her thigh, hearing the slight catch in Scully’s breath.</p><p>Stella darted a glance at their driver, but he was fully concentrated on his driving, and it was too dark in the back of the car for him to see anything anyway. She slipped her hand between Scully’s thighs, grateful she’d worn trousers tonight to allow Stella this access. Already, she could feel her heat through the layers of fabric.</p><p>Scully clamped her thighs around Stella’s hand, probably to keep her from taking things further but effectively trapping Stella’s hand in its intimate position. She wiggled her fingers, and Scully stiffened. She gripped Stella’s wrist but didn’t attempt to move it. Instead, they rode on like that, with Stella taking the excuse of every bump in the road to move her hand, relentlessly teasing her.</p><p>Scully sat ramrod straight in her seat, not making a sound although her chest heaved with deep, silent breaths, and while Stella was glad for the darkness to hide her actions, she wished she could see the blush she knew was staining Scully’s cheeks right now. Stella could feel a hot flush on her own skin, centered in the throbbing need in her core.</p><p>“Here we are,” the driver announced as the car pulled to a stop in front of their house.</p><p>Stella pulled her hand from its hiding place, giving Scully’s thigh a parting squeeze. She thanked the driver and stood from the car. Scully got out on the other side, and Stella crossed to her, leading the way to their front door.</p><p>They were quiet as they entered the house, quiet as Stella locked the door behind them, quiet even as she turned, pressing Scully against the wall and claiming her mouth. Their tongues met roughly, and the otherwise quiet house filled with the sounds of their breathing, pants and gasps and moans.</p><p>Scully pushed one leg forward, and Stella straddled her as best she could from within the confines of her skirt. She hissed with pleasure as Scully’s thigh made contact with her clit, moving her hips as she tugged Scully’s blouse from the waistband of her trousers. Stella’s skirt prevented her from achieving any real satisfaction from this position, but she wanted to focus on Scully first anyway.</p><p>She’d never admit how much she enjoyed fucking Scully in her uniform, the heady feeling of power that filled her from the way Scully looked at her when she wore it. She popped the button on Scully’s pants, stroking her over the fabric as she lowered the zipper.</p><p>“Yes,” Scully gasped as her hips arched into Stella’s touch. She fumbled with the buttons on Stella’s jacket, but she pushed Scully’s hand away.</p><p>“Leave it.” She had her own plans for tonight, and they involved the uniform staying on…for now. She pushed Scully’s trousers over her hips, and she kicked her way out of them. Stella ghosted her fingers over the front of Scully’s underwear, and she whimpered, pulling at Stella, trying to draw her closer.</p><p>Stella took Scully’s hands, pressing her palms flat against the wall at her sides. “Hands to yourself until I’m finished with you.”</p><p>Scully grumbled, but she kept her hands where Stella had put them.</p><p>Stella straightened, taking a moment to appreciate the flush of Scully’s cheeks, the way her chest heaved for breath beneath her blouse, her bare legs gleaming in the lamplight. Absolutely fucking gorgeous. Stella flicked the button that strained over Scully’s breasts, popping it open, slowly making her way down. She dragged her fingers over Scully’s soft skin as she opened the blouse button by button until it fluttered at her sides, revealing her flesh-toned lace bra, a match for her panties.</p><p>“Very nice,” Stella murmured, dipping her head to kiss the exposed skin, as Scully arched her back, pressing her body against Stella’s. She kissed Scully’s beautiful tits over the lace of her bra as her fingers teased the lace of her underwear, thrilled by the way Scully whimpered and squirmed against her.</p><p>“Stella,” she whined, attempting to thrust her hips against Stella’s hand, but she retreated each time, keeping herself just outside Scully’s reach, ridiculously aroused by the gorgeously frustrated woman in front of her.</p><p>Finally, Stella took pity on her. She stroked her over her underwear, circling her clit as Scully’s hips jerked against her hand, sending a bolt of need to Stella’s core. She positioned her hand so that her fingers met Scully on each movement of her hips, and just like that, she broke, shuddering against Stella as she moaned her release. Stella cocked an eyebrow at her. Scully must have been more worked up from their car ride than she’d realized.</p><p>“Mm,” Scully murmured, melting against her.</p><p>“Not finished with you yet,” Stella told her as she hooked a finger under the band of Scully’s underwear, yanking them down.</p><p>“Oh.” Scully’s thighs parted obediently as she let Stella push her back against the wall.</p><p>“You went off on me before I was ready,” Stella told her as she swiped the pad of her thumb over Scully’s wet clit, causing her hips to buck forward.</p><p>“You know I can’t take the teasing, Stell, not like you can.”</p><p>“You’re still a work in progress,” Stella told her. She’d always enjoyed the anticipation as much as the release, and nothing fueled her pleasure as much as watching Scully unravel before her. She could honestly do this for hours, but Scully never let them get that far…at least not without coming several times first.</p><p>“I’m a slut for you in uniform,” Scully told her, running her hands appreciatively over it.</p><p>“The only reason I tolerate wearing it.” Stella wished briefly that they were in their bedroom so she had easy access to their toys, because in that moment, she wanted to fuck Scully like a man, to pound into her until she came so hard she left marks on Stella’s skin with her nails from the strength of her release.</p><p>“Your uniform does things to me,” Scully mumbled as she let her head fall back against the wall with a thump.</p><p>“Does it?” Stella could improvise without a rubber cock. She entered Scully with her fingers, thrusting into her hard and fast. She threw the full weight of her body into the action, thrusting with her hips as her fingers plunged into Scully’s body.</p><p>Scully moaned, rocking forward to meet her on each thrust, her wetness coating Stella’s hand, fueling the need inside her.</p><p>“That’s it,” she encouraged, and Scully’s moan became a cry, her fingers gripping Stella’s shoulders as she surged forward, meeting her stroke for stroke. “Come for me, Dana.”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” she said, and the sound of those words on her lips caused Stella’s control to slip. She pressed forward, slamming her hips into Scully’s as she plunged into her.</p><p>“Say it again,” she demanded.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am.” Scully gasped as her body clenched around Stella’s fingers, and then she was coming, shuddering in Stella’s arms from the force of her release.</p><p>Stella stilled her hand, allowing her to ride it out, knowing that Scully became too sensitive if she kept stimulating her. Her own clit throbbed in time with her pulse, her wetness slick against her thighs inside her uniform.</p><p>“Fuck,” Scully whispered as she slumped against Stella.</p><p>“Mm,” Stella agreed, reaching down to unbutton her jacket, desperately hot beneath all the layers she wore.</p><p>“No, keep it on,” Scully said, seamlessly turning the tables as she spun them to press Stella against the wall.</p><p>“Not the jacket,” she protested.</p><p>“Okay, but just the jacket.” Scully slid it over her shoulders and then, with a wicked smile, she put it on, buttoning it around her waist.</p><p>“You’re right,” Stella said, taking her in, the superintendent’s insignia on her shoulders and service stripes over her breast. “That <em>is</em> hot.”</p><p>“Told you.” Scully gripped Stella’s tie, toying with it before giving it a yank. “Come with me.” And she led Stella toward the living room.</p><p>Stella followed, the sound of their heels against the hardwood floors echoing through the house. Scully flipped on the light as they passed, bathing the living room in its golden glow. She pushed Stella onto the couch, placing her hands on Stella’s knees as she parted her thighs.</p><p>“Dana,” she murmured as she sank against the cushions, almost unbearably aroused.</p><p>“Sh,” Scully told her, one hand slipping beneath Stella’s skirt to stroke her over her already soaked panties. She smirked at the discovery, but Stella was too overcome with pleasure to care. “You like fucking in this uniform so much, you’re keeping it on,” Scully told her as she began to work the skirt up Stella’s thighs.</p><p>Stella lifted her hips to help her out, not about to argue, but the skirt was too snug to fully cooperate. They managed to get it to mid-thigh, and then Scully slipped off Stella’s thong. She closed her eyes in anticipation, throbbing for Scully’s touch.</p><p>“All right, ma’am,” Scully said, dropping to a crouch between Stella’s thighs. “This is for putting up with me making you the center of attention at the party tonight.”</p><p>“Fuck,” Stella hissed as Scully’s head disappeared beneath her skirt, the warmth of her breath gusting against Stella’s bare skin.</p><p>“Yes,” Scully whispered, and then her tongue pressed against Stella’s clit, swirling there until Stella was gasping for breath, her hips moving against Scully’s mouth.</p><p>She was already pretty far gone from the thrill of getting Scully off, need rising relentlessly inside her beneath Scully’s talented tongue. She licked and kissed her way over Stella’s skin before plunging her tongue inside her.</p><p>Stella groaned, heat building low in her belly, a fire stoked with every movement of Scully’s tongue. Something about having her hidden beneath Stella’s skirt only served to heighten the eroticism of the moment. Stella clenched her fingers in the upholstery, her gaze falling to the diamond on her left hand.</p><p>Tears welled in her eyes, emotions overflowing as she remembered the way Scully had proposed that morning, how she’d brought Stella to the brink of release—as she was now—before showing her the ring. She couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect than a quiet morning in bed or the simple but timeless ring Scully had chosen for her. She wouldn’t change a single moment, certainly not the fiery redhead currently buried between her thighs.</p><p>Scully enveloped Stella in the heat of her mouth, teasing Stella’s clit with her teeth while simultaneously plunging several fingers deep inside her, and that did it. Stella ground herself shamelessly against Scully’s mouth. Her vision blurred, tears spilling over her cheeks as pleasure ignited inside her. She came in a blinding rush, hips moving frantically before she collapsed against the cushions, her body coated in a sheen of sweat.</p><p>“I need to get out of this uniform,” she muttered when she’d regained the ability to speak.</p><p>“Come on,” Scully said, tugging at her hand. “Let’s go upstairs.”</p><p>* * *</p><p>Stella strode into the office on Monday morning with one eye already on the clock. Mondays were her meeting days, mind-numbingly long and often equally frustrating. She set down her briefcase, thankful she’d taken the time to prepare her own coffee at home so she didn’t have to drink the rubbish in the break room.</p><p>As she lifted her insulated mug, her gaze caught on the ring. An odd sensation filled her, as if she’d already taken a sip of her coffee and its warmth and caffeine were now spreading through her system. She’d never been one for jewelry, and this was a hell of a place to start.</p><p>An engagement ring.</p><p>The diamond sparkled outrageously under the fluorescent bulb overhead, and she wiggled her finger a bit, watching as it caught the light. She couldn’t say she loved a piece of metal and stone. She reserved that word for a select few people, never objects. But she was unexpectedly affected by the way it made her feel to wear it, this warm, caffeinated feeling that permeated her system every time she looked at it.</p><p>She felt loved.</p><p>The ring was an embodiment of their love and commitment to each other. And while she hadn’t planned to wear one—only to give one to Scully—she found herself staring at it for an inordinate amount of time during her morning management meeting. As the other senior level officers in the room droned on about budgets and statistics, she looked at that diamond and thought of Scully.</p><p>Three hours later, she finally rose from her conference room chair, grateful that was over. She needed to visit the restroom and grab something to eat, and then she would spend the afternoon meeting with each of the DSI’s who reported to her. These meetings, at least, she looked forward to.</p><p>In particular, she anticipated her meeting with DSI Parrish, who was overseeing a string of murders of teenage boys that had thus far stumped the department. Stella was eager to see what progress Parrish had made and what steps Stella could take to aid in the investigation. She suspected it was time to establish a task force to get this killer—or killers—off the streets before they struck again.</p><p>As she made her way down the hall, she heard a high-pitched whine coming from the direction of the reception desk. It sounded like an animal, perhaps a dog, but what in the world was one doing here? She sidetracked toward reception, peering over the partition to find a small brown dog standing next to their receptionist, Martha. It whined again when it saw her.</p><p>“Why is there a dog?” Stella asked.</p><p>“He came in from a crime scene earlier,” Martha told her. “His owner was shot and killed during an early morning robbery, so now I’m just waiting to see if there are any relatives who want to claim him. If not, I’ll have one of the constables give him a ride to the shelter.”</p><p>“Ah,” Stella said. “Good luck.”</p><p>The dog looked at her and whined again. What an annoying sound. Its ears appeared slightly too large for the rest of its body. It was cute, though, in an oddball way. She hoped someone showed up to claim it.</p><p>Mystery solved, she went down the hall to the restroom and then headed to the break room, hoping to find food because she was starved and didn’t have enough time to go out before her next meeting. Luckily, there was a stack of pizza boxes on one of the tables, so she grabbed a couple of slices and a bottle of water before retreating to her office. She bumped into Stephen on the way.</p><p>“So, you and Dana are finally making it official,” he said with a good-natured smile as he fell into step beside her. “Who asked whom?”</p><p>“I did,” she told him, her left thumb rubbing idly over the still-unfamiliar band there.</p><p>“Well done, you,” he said, nudging her shoulder with his. “What prompted you to take the plunge after all these years?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “It just felt like…time.”</p><p>“I’m glad,” he said, his expression gone serious. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”</p><p>A smile touched her lips as she remembered all the times she and Stephen had had each other’s backs through various breakups and years alone. “Yes, we have.”</p><p>“Well, I hope you and Dana are as happy as Marisol and I are, but I know you will be. In fact, I don’t imagine much of anything will change for you except the legalities.”</p><p>“It will feel different, I think,” she said as they reached Stephen’s office. She lingered in the doorway for a moment to finish their conversation. This was something she’d spent a lot of time thinking about before she proposed as she considered whether to take that step. On the surface, nothing for her and Scully would change. They’d already lived together for seven years, after all, but marriage was more than a legality. It was a promise, a commitment, one she used to think she wasn’t capable of making.</p><p>“You’re right,” he said. “It does, but in a good way.”</p><p>“Thank you, Stephen.” She continued down the hall to her own office, where she had just enough time to eat her lunch before DSI Koch arrived for their meeting, and from there, she went straight into her meeting with DSI Parrish.</p><p>“I’ve been on the phone with ADI Bailey up in Manchester,” Parrish told her as she set her laptop on the desk, turning it to face Stella. “She dealt with a similar case a few years back, thrill kills.”</p><p>“And did she have insight for us?” Stella asked.</p><p>Parrish nodded. “We’ve been stymied by the fact that the murders seem to have no connection, no motive, no similarities—other than the victims being teenage boys. It’s almost as if each murder were committed by a different person, and in fact, after speaking with ADI Bailey, I think it’s possible that they have been.”</p><p>“Explain,” Stella said, because each victim had been found with a playing card in his back pocket, which is how they had linked the crimes in the first place and suggested a single killer.</p><p>“In Bailey’s case, the murders were part of a game initiated on the dark web, a website where potential targets are posted, a scoresheet of sorts. Members who have access to this site commit crimes to gain points and popularity on the site. After some digging, I’ve discovered that the mastermind behind our killings has done the same.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ,” Stella muttered.</p><p>“The site our killer has created is called Solitaire. I believe the playing cards are how the game is being scored. More points for a higher value card,” Parrish said, tapping the laptop to life with a grim look. “I’ve got the digital crimes unit attempting to gain access to the site, in the hopes we can find out who’s behind it and get it shut down. And then we need to track down each individual killer, which may be easier once we’ve got a list of members who had access.”</p><p>By the time Parrish left her office, it was past five. Stella spent another hour at her desk, wrapping things up. She called each officer she would be assigning to the Solitaire task force, explaining the situation and gathering them all for a meeting first thing the following morning. She would be allocating as much manpower and resources as possible to this case, and as such, it had just become everyone’s top priority.</p><p>Consequently, it was later than usual as she finally packed up for the day, replacing thoughts of thrill killers on the dark web with the more welcome promise of a lazy evening ahead with Scully.</p><p>A whine reached Stella’s ears as she passed the reception desk, and she paused. The dog was still here?</p><p>“No luck?” she asked Martha.</p><p>“No, ma’am. Everyone’s been extra busy today. I’ll take him to the shelter myself when I get off.”</p><p>Stella looked at the brown creature crouched at Martha’s feet, recalling all the times over the years that Scully had spoken of getting a dog. “Someday,” she always said, waving off the idea.</p><p>“I’ll drive him to the shelter,” Stella said, surprising even herself.</p><p>Martha gaped at her for a moment before recovering her composure. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Well,” she backtracked, thinking of her car. “Is he toilet trained?”</p><p>“Oh, yes,” Martha assured her. “In fact, I should probably take him out again.”</p><p>“I’ll take him,” Stella said, holding her hand out for his leash.</p><p>“Thank you, ma’am,” Martha told her as she stood to untie the dog from her desk. “I really appreciate it.”</p><p>“It’s not a problem.” Stella took the leash, half wondering if she’d lost her mind, because she wasn’t entirely sure she’d held a leash before, let alone cared for an animal in any capacity.</p><p>“His name’s Dobby,” Martha told her. “Here, I have some papers for you to give the shelter.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Stella took the paperwork Martha held toward her, noting a summary of the police report and vaccination records that must have come from the owner’s residence. “That’s an unusual name, Dobby.”</p><p>The dog cocked his head as if recognizing his name.</p><p>“It’s from <em>Harry Potter</em>,” Martha said with a smile. “The little elf with the big ears. It suits him, doesn’t it?”</p><p>Stella looked down at the little dog with his comically large ears. She didn’t know the elf from <em>Harry Potter</em>, but now she knew why she’d offered to take the dog. It was perfect, actually, and she wasn’t going to give herself even a moment to second guess this decision. She thanked Martha and headed for the door, the dog trotting along obediently at her side.</p><p>She led him to the car, and he hopped right in, sitting on the passenger seat. He watched intently as she put her briefcase on the back seat and sat beside him. “Don’t get any ideas,” she told him as she started the car. “I could still take you to the shelter, you know.”</p><p>But she wasn’t going to, at least, not tonight. No, sometime after her conversation with Stephen, as she’d pondered the ways her life would and wouldn’t change once she and Scully were married, she’d found herself remembering that long-ago conversation the first time she’d brought Scully to dinner at Fran and Mitch’s, when Scully had told them about her dog, Queequeg, who—if memory served—had also come from a crime scene.</p><p>That night, Stella had lamented that she would never be able to give Scully the things she deserved, a steady life, marriage…a dog. Well, maybe this one would turn out to be an absolute asshole and she’d take him to the shelter in the morning, but he was cute and seemingly well-behaved, and with his name, it seemed almost meant to be.</p><p>Dobby lay with his head between his front paws, watching her as she drove, but he didn’t make a sound, not a single whine. Perhaps he knew his fate rested in her hands, that she had the power to change her mind and take him to the shelter at any moment. She might not have any experience with animals, but she’d always believed them to be more intuitive than most people gave them credit for.</p><p>When she reached their home in Notting Hill, she parked and took Dobby’s leash, watching in frustration as he raised his leg on the rosebush she’d planted only a few months ago. She let herself in through the back door, heels clicking on the hardwood floors as she made her way toward the front of the house.</p><p>“I’m in the kitchen,” Scully called. The scent of something savory hung in the air, and Stella’s stomach rumbled. “Hi,” Scully said as Stella entered the kitchen, and then her eyes rounded as she caught sight of the dog. “Stella, what in the world have you done?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, who caught my shout-out to <a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/post/618665142364848128/did-you-catch-my-shout-out-to-adi-rachel-bailey">ADI Rachel Bailey from the BBC show Scott &amp; Bailey</a>? (and if you haven't watched yet, I highly rec!)</p><p>Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far - let me know what you think! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“He was brought into the station from a crime scene this morning,” Stella told Scully, darting a glance at the little brown dog standing beside her. “His name is Dobby.”</p>
<p>“Dobby,” Scully repeated, a soft smile curving her lips as she crouched to pet the dog. His tail began to wag, causing his whole body to sway from side to side. Scully looked up at her. “And you just…brought him home?”</p>
<p>“I was supposed to bring him to the shelter,” Stella said.</p>
<p>Scully rubbed the dog under his chin. “You know, I had a dog once,” she told him. “His name was Queequeg, and I brought him home from a crime scene too. He was eaten by an alligator, but I don’t think they have those here in London.”</p>
<p>“No alligators,” Stella confirmed.</p>
<p>“So, to be clear, you want us to keep him?” Scully asked, looking up at Stella again.</p>
<p>“If you’d like,” Stella said. “I mean, I didn’t exactly think this through. He just reminded me of your story about Queequeg, but I don’t know a thing about him. If he’s awful, we can take him to the shelter in the morning.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think you’re awful,” Scully told the dog, and he leaned in to lick her face. “You are full of surprises this month.”</p>
<p>Stella assumed that comment was directed at her. She stepped farther into the kitchen to pick up the open bottle of wine on the counter and pour herself a glass. “Good ones, I hope?”</p>
<p>“Excellent ones,” Scully confirmed, rubbing the little dog behind his ears. Already, they seemed smitten with each other.</p>
<p>Stella was surprised to find herself smiling. This was perhaps the most outrageous—definitely the most spontaneous—thing she’d ever done, but for the moment, it seemed to have been a good decision. “What’s for supper?”</p>
<p>“Chicken marsala for us,” Scully said, nodding toward the pan on the stove. “I think we might have to make a run for dog food after we eat.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure the market on the corner sells some.”</p>
<p>“I bet they do,” Scully said, still smiling at Dobby, who was staring back at her in rapt attention. As she straightened to stir the mixture in the pan, he whined.</p>
<p>“He’d better not make a habit of that,” Stella said, remembering with chagrin the way he’d whined all day at the station.</p>
<p>“Well, his owner died this morning,” Scully said sympathetically. “He spent the day in a police station full of strangers, and now he’s come into our home, but he doesn’t know us either. He’s probably sad and hungry and confused.”</p>
<p>“We don’t have any dog supplies.”</p>
<p>“We’ll go out after dinner and get what we need.” Scully leaned in to give her a kiss, arms coming around her. “Thank you,” she whispered against Stella’s lips.</p>
<p>“You could have gotten a dog any time you wanted,” Stella deflected, kissing her back.</p>
<p>“I guess it was never at the forefront of my mind, but this guy needs a home, and I’m off for the whole summer. It feels like the timing is right.”</p>
<p>Stella looked at the dog. He stood in the kitchen, leash discarded on the floor, staring between them with wide, uncertain eyes. As she watched, he whined again.</p>
<p>“All right, Dobby,” Scully said. “I’ll see what I can do for you. Stella, do you mind keeping an eye on the chicken?”</p>
<p>“Not at all.” Stella walked to the stove. She stirred the sauce and prodded the chicken, and then she headed upstairs to change. Perhaps it was her age showing, but these days, she couldn’t wait to get out of her heels when she got home. She kicked them off and tucked them into their spot in the closet before changing her skirt for a pair of jeans. Barefoot, she padded back downstairs to check on their supper.</p>
<p>“It should be ready,” Scully called. She was crouched beside the kitchen table, presumably taking care of the dog.</p>
<p>Stella dished up two plates of chicken marsala and brought them to the table, where Scully had set down a bowl of water and a small plate of chicken, which Dobby was devouring at an alarming speed. “Oh Jesus Christ,” she muttered, a smile tugging at her lips.</p>
<p>“He was hungry, and we don’t have any dog food yet,” Scully said, not sounding at all sorry.</p>
<p>“Just don’t make a habit of it, or you’ll give him bad manners.”</p>
<p>“I know, I know.”</p>
<p>They sat across from each other, sharing a smile as they began to eat.</p>
<p>“How was your day?” Scully asked.</p>
<p>“The usual Monday nonsense. We may have had a break on our serial case, though.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Scully’s interest sharpened, as it always did when Stella mentioned a case. She missed detective work on some level, even if she wasn’t interested in returning to that world.</p>
<p>“It would appear that the murders might be connected to a sort of game on the dark web.” Briefly, Stella filled her in on everything she’d learned today.</p>
<p>“Wow, that’s fucked up,” Scully said.</p>
<p>“Indeed,” Stella agreed.</p>
<p>Dobby paced beneath the table, alternately sniffing the floor and whining, and Stella was starting to doubt whatever urge had caused her to bring him home with her. What if he destroyed their house? What if he chewed her shoes or peed on her furniture or whined day and night? He definitely seemed to be a whiner.</p>
<p>“Stop it,” Scully said.</p>
<p>“Stop what?” Stella asked, cutting another bite of chicken.</p>
<p>“Second guessing yourself. He’s here, and I’m happy about it. Let’s just play it by ear and see what happens, okay?”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Stella conceded, resisting the urge to grind her teeth as the dog continued to whine. The sound had frayed her nerves by the time they finished eating.</p>
<p>“I’ll take him for a little walk if you don’t mind cleaning up,” Scully said. “He might need to use the bathroom, and some exercise might help with the whining.”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Stella agreed, standing to take their plates to the sink. She busied herself in the kitchen, which was blissfully quiet now that Scully had gone outside with the dog. She’d put away their leftovers and loaded the dishwasher by the time she heard the front door open, announcing their return.</p>
<p>“Well, he definitely needed to take care of business,” Scully said with a laugh. “I looked up pet stores on my phone while we were walking, and there’s one not far from here. Want to take a ride with us?”</p>
<p>“Us?” Stella asked as she rinsed her hands at the sink.</p>
<p>“He can come to the pet store. It says so right on their website.” She held up her phone, and Stella wanted to protest, because a trip to the pet store didn’t sound in any way appealing, especially after the day she’d had. All she really wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a book, a glass of wine, and Scully.</p>
<p>Why had she brought home a fucking dog? But she <em>had</em> brought him home, and Scully basically hadn’t stopped smiling since she met the whiny canine. In fact, she was looking at him now with an adoring expression, and this…this was why. Stella would do anything for this woman, even give her a dog.</p>
<p>“All right,” she agreed, reaching for her purse.</p>
<p>Scully led the way out the back door, and the damn dog peed on Stella’s rosebush <em>again</em> on their way to the car.</p>
<p>“Seriously, how many times can one dog pee?” she muttered as she unlocked the car.</p>
<p>“A lot,” Scully told her with an amused smile. “Especially male dogs. He’s marking his territory.”</p>
<p>“Lovely.” Stella slid into the driver’s seat and started the car while Scully opened the back door for Dobby. He hopped in, running from one end of the seat to the other with a whine. “Oh my God,” Stella muttered, shaking her head.</p>
<p>Scully laughed. “He’ll settle down soon.”</p>
<p>They drove several blocks, following GPS directions from Scully’s phone. Stella pulled the car into a small shopping center she had never visited before, despite its relative proximity to their home. It contained a number of small retail shops, including the pet store Scully had located.</p>
<p>Forty-five minutes later, they exited the shop with a ridiculous amount of supplies for a dog she wasn’t even sure she wanted to keep. Scully had marched straight to the counter and asked for assistance, and now they had bowls, food, treats, toys, a dog bed, and a ludicrously expensive wire cage to put him in when they left the house.</p>
<p>When they got home, Scully got to work setting up the crate. Stella took her glass of wine to the couch, glad when the dog followed Scully upstairs. She made it through a chapter of her book before Scully and Dobby came down to join her. “No dogs on the sofa,” she said before either of them got any ideas.</p>
<p>“That’s what the dog bed is for,” Scully agreed. She retrieved her own wineglass and joined Stella on the couch. Dobby stood on the floor in front of them and whined.</p>
<p>“Go lay down,” Stella told him firmly, and to her absolute shock, he turned around and curled up in the dog bed, head on his front paws, watching them.</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll be damned,” Scully said. She lay back with her head in Stella’s lap, smiling up at her.</p>
<p>Stella trailed her fingers through the silky depths of Scully’s hair, a sense of calm descending over her for the first time since she’d brought the dog home. Maybe this would turn out all right after all. Scully sighed happily as her eyes drifted shut.</p>
<p>“You know, I named Queequeg after a character in <em>Moby Dick</em>, the book that brought my dad and me together when I was a kid,” she murmured.</p>
<p>“I remember.”</p>
<p>“And <em>Harry Potter</em> is the book that brought Will and me together.”</p>
<p>Stella had known that too. In fact, she hadn’t made the decision to bring Dobby home until she’d learned his name.</p>
<p>“It feels meant to be,” Scully whispered, giving Stella’s fingers a squeeze.</p>
<p>Stella squeezed back, her gaze falling to the ring on her finger, as overwhelmed with love for the woman in her arms as she was uncertain about the furry creature beside the couch. Hopefully, he would grow on her.</p>
<p>On the dog bed, Dobby began to whine.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>“All right, you,” Scully said to the dog. “What are we going to do today while Stella’s at work?”</p>
<p>Dobby cocked his head, staring up at her with wide brown eyes. He was a funny looking thing, with those oversized ears and a tail that stuck straight up in the air when he was happy. He was a little larger than Queequeg had been, with short caramel brown hair like a lab or a terrier, but if she had to guess, he was some kind of mutt.</p>
<p>If she let herself think too hard about the leap of faith Stella had taken yesterday in bringing him home, she would cry, because honestly it might be the kindest thing anyone had ever done for her. Sure, as Stella had reminded her last night, Scully could have suggested—insisted even—that they get a dog sometime over the years since they moved in together. But that wasn’t the point.</p>
<p>Having a dog had never been a priority for her. She hadn’t intended to bring Queequeg home, and she sure as hell hadn’t seen Dobby coming, but she knew as soon as Stella walked through the back door with him that this was somehow meant to be. They were settled now, as settled as they were ever likely to be, so what better time to get a dog?</p>
<p>She slid off the couch, bringing her coffee with her to sit on the floor. Dobby immediately wiggled closer so that his head rested on her ankles, still watching her out of those big brown eyes. “My son’s coming to visit in a few weeks,” she told him. “He’s eighteen now, about to start college. He loves animals.”</p>
<p>And he was going to adore Dobby. She was sure of it. In fact, she should email him a picture, but maybe she should wait a few days and make sure Stella was going to settle into the idea of keeping the dog before she told Will about him.</p>
<p>Actually, Dobby might be just what Scully needed to keep herself occupied until Will’s visit, because she was already starting to stress about it. She hadn’t lived under the same roof with him since he was a baby. What if he got bored once he was here? What if they had nothing in common? What if he regretted coming to visit?</p>
<p>She shook her head, banishing the thoughts. “I think you and I should go for a jog after I finish my coffee.”</p>
<p>Dobby’s tail wagged every time she spoke to him, and it was pretty damn cute.</p>
<p>“Maybe we can be running buddies,” she continued, sipping her coffee. “I’ve gotten a bit lazy this summer, almost <em>too</em> much free time on my hands, you know what I mean?”</p>
<p>He listened intently, tail still going.</p>
<p>She’d never had a whole summer off before, at least, not since she was a little girl. Between Will’s visit and her wedding, she’d figured she would be busy, but she hadn’t taken these weeks into account…the weeks where she had nothing to do but sit here and wait for those events to arrive, while trying not to overthink things.</p>
<p>Already, she was starting to get a bit stir crazy. And every time Stella came home talking about a serial killer targeting teenage boys, Scully felt herself starting to panic. It was irrational. She knew that. Whoever the killer was, he didn’t know Will. But just the thought of a site on the dark web where mysterious people targeted children her son’s age sent her spiraling back to that terrifying first year of Will’s life, when she and her baby had been targets of an unknown government conspiracy, when her life had been wiretapped, her every movement documented.</p>
<p>For any number of reasons, she hoped Stella caught everyone involved in this thrill kill site quickly. And in the meantime, Dobby might be just the distraction Scully needed to keep herself from obsessing about the alternative.</p>
<p>She sat there for a few minutes, rubbing him while she contemplated the day ahead. What did one do with a dog all day? It had been so long, she didn’t remember, and when she’d had Queequeg, she’d been working a million hours a week on the X Files, so he’d spent more time with the dog sitter than he had with her, anyway.</p>
<p>“It’s too soon to tell Will about you, just in case it doesn’t work out, but let’s call my mom,” Scully told him. “She’d love to meet you, and I haven’t talked to her yet this week, so we can kill two birds with one stone. And then, we’ll go for that jog.”</p>
<p>Decision made, she reached for her phone and dialed Maggie through FaceTime. A few moments later, her mother’s face appeared on the screen.</p>
<p>“Dana,” she said with a wide smile. “This is a surprise. How are you?”</p>
<p>It was true that Scully didn’t use FaceTime very often, but she had a good reason today. “I have someone I want to introduce you to,” she said, holding the phone out so that Dobby appeared on the screen beside her.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Maggie exclaimed. “Did you and Stella get a dog?”</p>
<p>“Well, she brought this one home from a crime scene yesterday. We’re not sure yet whether he’s permanent, but I have a good feeling about it.”</p>
<p>“That’s wonderful,” Maggie said. “What’s his name?”</p>
<p>“Dobby,” Scully told her. “He’s obviously named for Dobby the house elf from <em>Harry Potter</em>, because I mean…look at his ears.” She ruffled Dobby’s ears affectionately, and he turned his head to lick her fingers, tail swooshing against the floor.</p>
<p>“Oh yes,” Maggie said with a laugh. “I see the resemblance now.” She’d watched all the <em>Harry Potter</em> movies with Bill’s kids, her other grandchildren. It used to make Scully endlessly sad that she hadn’t gotten to do the same with William, but it didn’t anymore. Time and circumstance had healed that wound.</p>
<p>“I must admit I’m surprised Stella brought him home,” Maggie said. “She doesn’t impress me as the pet type.”</p>
<p>“She’s not. It surprised me too. She did it as an impulsive gesture for me, and to be honest, she’s regretting it a bit now, but hopefully it will work out. If not, at least we gave this guy a space to heal after losing his owner before he goes to the shelter.”</p>
<p>“Aw,” Maggie said. “I bet she’ll come around. How could she not, with a face like that?” She made kissy noises at Dobby through the phone, and he cocked his head at her. “Have you two made any wedding plans yet? And don’t you dare think of eloping without me.”</p>
<p>“I would never,” Scully told her with a smile. “And yes, as a matter of fact, we were thinking of eloping—with you—when you’re here in August. How does that sound?”</p>
<p>Maggie pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes welling with tears. “It sounds perfect. Oh, Dana. I still can’t believe it’s really happening.”</p>
<p>“I can’t either. It will probably just be us and Stella’s friends Fran and Mitch.”</p>
<p>“Not your brothers?” Maggie asked, a hint of disapproval in her voice.</p>
<p>“No,” Scully told her firmly. “You know Bill doesn’t approve of my relationship with Stella, and Charlie’s off doing his own thing. Neither of them makes any effort to keep in touch, and they’ll both be satisfied with a few photos.”</p>
<p>“Okay, okay,” Maggie acquiesced.</p>
<p>Scully knew it hurt her that her three surviving children weren’t close, but they’d all gone their separate ways in adulthood, and Scully had made peace with it. Perhaps if Melissa had lived, things would be different, but Scully tried not to dwell on the past these days. Her future was bright, and that was where she channeled her energy.</p>
<p>“How are you, Mom? Anything new? Still enjoying your painting class?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes. Let me show you the tree I painted last week.” Maggie stood and carried the phone toward the den, which had become a makeshift studio as she explored her new hobby. She and Scully talked for a few more minutes before ending the call.</p>
<p>Scully went upstairs to change into athletic shorts and a jogging top, and then she clipped Dobby’s leash onto his collar. “Ready to run off some energy?” she asked as she led him toward the back door.</p>
<p>He followed quietly. She turned left, beginning to jog toward the park a few blocks away. It had some shady paths she thought Dobby might enjoy. He trotted at her side, mostly keeping pace with her, although he occasionally yanked the leash to sniff things or pee on them. They spent an hour or so in the park, sometimes jogging, sometimes walking, with a lot of sniffing in between. He nearly pulled the leash out of her inexperienced hand when a squirrel caught his eye, barking and dancing on his hind legs as he strained to chase it.</p>
<p>By the time they made it back to the house, she was sufficiently tired, and she hoped he was too. After he’d had a drink of water, she put him in his crate while she took a shower. Then she curled up on the couch with her laptop to do some wedding research. She knew Stella well enough to know she’d never do it herself. She would postpone the task until Scully agreed to a courthouse wedding just to get it done.</p>
<p>Stella didn’t plan vacations or occasions, which made her proposal on that mountaintop in Wyoming even more meaningful. It was possibly the grandest gesture she’d ever made, certainly the grandest gesture Scully had ever received, and it meant more to her than she could possibly put into words.</p>
<p>Scully clicked through a list of places to elope in the United Kingdom, discounting each location after a quick glance. A scenic vineyard? Too traditional. A castle? Too grand. A rustic barn? Not even remotely their style. After an hour of searching, she set down her laptop with a sigh. She couldn’t picture herself marrying Stella in any of those places.</p>
<p>In worse news, apparently laws were stricter in the United Kingdom than in America, so they couldn’t just get married in a random field or park. Locations had to be specially licensed for weddings, which limited their options. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine their perfect wedding. What did it look like? Unfortunately, she had no idea. Maybe they ought to go to the courthouse after all.</p>
<p>Dobby whined.</p>
<p>“What’s up, buddy?” she asked, squinting down at him.</p>
<p>He lay on his dog bed, staring up at her with wide, questioning eyes.</p>
<p>“You’ll feel better soon. Trust me,” she told him, hoping it was true.</p>
<p>She returned her attention to her laptop, clicking through more licensed wedding locations. Click. Nope. Click. No way. Click. Hell no.</p>
<p>And then she saw it. From the name alone, she knew this was the one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is kind of a quiet chapter, but just think of it as the calm before the storm 😏</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Want to go for a walk?”</p>
<p>Stella stopped just inside the back door to take off her shoes. “I had hoped to finish up some paperwork before dinner, actually.” She felt a bit guilty for bringing work home with her. It wasn’t something she did often these days, but this thrill kill case was occupying a lot of her time and focus.</p>
<p>“Come for a walk with us first,” Scully said, meeting her for a kiss by the stairs with Dobby at her side.</p>
<p>Somehow, Stella had managed to put the dog out of her mind while she was at work. She’d almost hoped to walk in the door and find that Scully had brought him to the shelter herself, that he’d become too much of a nuisance for her to bother with. But here he was, a walking, sniffling, whining reminder of yesterday’s impulsive decision.</p>
<p>“My feet hurt,” she protested, which was true, but it wouldn’t otherwise stop her from getting some exercise, especially the chance to do so with Scully.</p>
<p>“Just a short walk,” Scully said. “We can get takeout from The Flying Pig on our way home.”</p>
<p>“All right,” Stella conceded, perhaps swayed by the mention of her favorite pub, or perhaps it was Scully herself. “Let me go upstairs and change.”</p>
<p>“Yep.” Scully pulled her in for another kiss.</p>
<p>Stella kissed her back, happy to lose herself for a few moments in the welcome warmth of Scully’s embrace and the pleasure of her mouth. Something wet brushed against her leg, interrupting the moment. She looked down to see Dobby licking her calf, his rough tongue sending an unwelcome shudder through her body. “Piss off,” she told him, and he darted backward, watching her with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“Aw, Stella, I think he was trying to tell you he likes you.”</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t like to be licked…except by you.”</p>
<p>“Pervert,” Scully said, giving her a good-natured shove toward the stairs.</p>
<p>Stella went upstairs and changed into knit pants and a tunic before joining Scully for their walk. “How was your day?”</p>
<p>“Good,” Scully told her. “Dobby and I went for a jog and FaceTimed with my mom. He’s starting to settle in already.”</p>
<p>“No nasty habits?” Stella asked, looking down at the dog.</p>
<p>“Nope. He’s been pretty quiet today, actually. Would you like to walk him?” Scully held the leash toward her.</p>
<p>Stella bit back her instinctive refusal, because she’d brought him home, after all. She’d wanted to give Scully a dog, but if he was going to share their space, she was going to have to live with him too. So she took the leash, not missing the delighted smile on Scully’s face.</p>
<p>They went out through the back, heading toward the park a few blocks away. Dobby trotted obediently at her side, tail up, tongue hanging out of his mouth. Stella didn’t know much about dogs, but he seemed happy.</p>
<p>Scully hooked an elbow through Stella’s. “Maybe he’ll inspire us to get out and do this more, you know? Just walk around and enjoy our neighborhood.”</p>
<p>“Maybe.” In fact, Stella felt herself relaxing after a few minutes, pausing to appreciate the wisteria-laden front of a house as they passed, big pink blossoms clinging to the gray stone. She did love London in the summertime—Notting Hill in particular—and yet she so rarely took the time to actually <em>see</em> it, going straight from work to home, quiet evenings with Scully and occasional dinners out.</p>
<p>They strolled for a half hour or so, chatting idly as Dobby sniffed and explored. He was highly distractible, darting from side to side on the pavement, but he minded well, responding quickly when she reprimanded him. By the time they’d stopped for takeaway and made it back to their house, she found herself warming—slightly—to the idea of having him around.</p>
<p>She opened a bottle of Malbec to go with their burgers, taking a hearty sip as Scully poured food into Dobby’s bowl.</p>
<p>“I have something to show you after dinner,” Scully said with a mysterious smile. She sat at the table and tasted her wine, humming appreciatively.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Stella asked as she unwrapped her burger. Her stomach growled as the savory scent of beef reached her nose.</p>
<p>“An idea for our wedding.”</p>
<p>“Ah.” Stella bit into her burger. She’d known Scully would take over the planning, and that was fine with her. She didn’t much care about the details, as long as they were married at the end of the day, and she trusted Scully’s judgment.</p>
<p>They ate, and Stella poured them fresh glasses of wine before Scully led the way to the living room, where her laptop sat open on the coffee table. Dobby followed, hopping into his dog bed with a whine, which Stella silenced with a sharp look.</p>
<p>“What do you think?” Scully asked, tapping the screen to life.</p>
<p>Stella saw a photo of a cliff overlooking the sea, Dorset or thereabouts, if she had to guess. Scully began tabbing through a photo gallery, showing couples in wedding attire, exchanging vows beneath a flower-laden arbor with that cliff and the ocean as a backdrop.</p>
<p>The photos were lovely, but it was the name that caught Stella’s eye. Sapphire Fields. Her gaze dropped to Scully’s ring.</p>
<p>“They specialize in elopements,” she told Stella as she tabbed to the next photo. “That’s the main cottage, where we would stay, and there are a few other cottages available for guests if you rent the full property. They’ll provide food and flowers and all that if we like, or we can do our own thing. It’s completely private. We could get married there and stay a few nights, or if you prefer, there’s a hotel in town with a pool and room service.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Stella said, nodding. “It’s perfect.”</p>
<p>Scully beamed at her “Really?”</p>
<p>Stella could already picture it, Scully’s hair whipping in the sea breeze, eyes sparkling as blue as the ocean below. “I love it. Truly. But I’m going to put in a vote for the hotel with amenities unless you’re particularly attached to the cottage.”</p>
<p>Scully laughed. “I thought you might say that. How do you feel if we use the cottage to get ready and spend our wedding night at the hotel?”</p>
<p>“A solid compromise,” Stella agreed.</p>
<p>“That was easy,” Scully said. “Now, for our honeymoon…”</p>
<p>Stella tsked. “Honeymoons are indulgent. We’re already getting married at the beach, aren’t we?”</p>
<p>Scully rolled her eyes at her. “Yes, but we deserve a real vacation at some point, Stella. We’ve never taken one, you know.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” Stella sipped her wine.</p>
<p>“Think about it. You and me in Paris? Or riding in a gondola in Venice…”</p>
<p>“Perhaps.”</p>
<p>“It doesn’t have to be right after the wedding or even this year,” Scully said, and Stella could see by the intensity in her eyes that this was important to her. She wasn’t going to let it go, and perhaps she shouldn’t. Perhaps Stella ought to take her somewhere beautiful and extravagant…at some point in the future.</p>
<p>“Why don’t we get through the wedding, and then we’ll talk about the honeymoon?”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>On Sunday, almost a week after Dobby came into their lives, Scully came downstairs to find Stella on the couch in the copper-colored silk robe Scully had given her last Christmas, squinting at her laptop. Dobby lay on the floor beneath her, one of Stella’s bare feet rubbing absently along his back.</p>
<p>Scully’s heart squeezed at the sight. “You should be wearing your glasses. You’ll give yourself a headache squinting at the screen like that.”</p>
<p>“Piss off,” Stella said without looking up. Her foot moved to rub Dobby behind his ears, and the little dog’s tail thumped happily against the rug. Though she hadn’t said so out loud, Stella had softened around him over the last few days. Dobby obviously adored her, following her quietly around the house whenever she was home.</p>
<p>“I think I’ll email Will today and send him a picture of Dobby,” Scully said.</p>
<p>Stella’s foot stilled. She knew Scully was waiting to be sure they were going to keep him before she told Will about him, and therefore, she certainly heard Scully’s unasked question. Sometimes Stella needed a little nudge to make things official, or in this case, permission to agree to something simpler—like Scully sending a photo—rather than having to state out loud that Dobby was theirs.</p>
<p>After a moment’s pause, she nodded. “All right.”</p>
<p>“Great.” Scully couldn’t help her smile as she sat next to Stella. She scrolled through the photo roll on her phone, which for the past six days consisted mostly of pictures of Dobby, eventually stopping on one she’d taken at the park. His head was cocked in a way that emphasized the ears that had inspired his name. “What do you think of this one?” she asked, giving Stella one last chance to object.</p>
<p>But she glanced at Scully’s phone and nodded again. “Cute.”</p>
<p>Quickly, Scully composed an email telling Will about their new dog. She attached the photo and sent it before either of them could change their mind. “Done.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Stella said mildly.</p>
<p>“What do you want to do today?”</p>
<p>“I have work to finish,” Stella said with a sigh as she set her laptop on the table. “But let’s take Dobby for a walk first, and then I thought you might like to come with me to the pool?”</p>
<p>“Sure,” Scully agreed. “Any new developments on the case?”</p>
<p>“Several,” Stella told her. “We’ve apprehended three of the five killers so far. These are not criminal masterminds. Actually, they’re just kids themselves.”</p>
<p>“Teenagers killing teenagers?”</p>
<p>“I’m afraid so. The sooner we get the Solitaire site taken down—and catch the person behind it—the sooner we can put this whole sordid mess behind us.”</p>
<p>“Any leads on Solitaire?” Scully asked</p>
<p>“We’re getting closer, but it’s very well encrypted. I’ve got all my best people on it.”</p>
<p>They dressed and took Dobby for a walk, something that had quickly become a part of their daily routine, and then Scully went with her to the pool. For the first time, she appreciated Stella’s zeal for this place. She was brimming with restless energy from being stuck at home and was able to burn through a lot of it as she attempted in vain to keep up with the graceful woman in the lane beside her.</p>
<p>That evening after dinner, Scully read medical journals while Stella checked in with her Solitaire task force. Somehow over the past week, the balance between them had flipped. Stella looked serene in her silk pajamas as she worked on her laptop with Dobby at her feet. She’d settled into the idea of keeping Dobby, had settled in general.</p>
<p>Now, Scully was the one slowly unraveling. She needed to work. That was the problem. She’d always needed to work, especially when there were things in her life that needed avoiding, and right now, she needed to get out of her head where Will’s upcoming visit was concerned. In addition to her general anxiety about making sure he had a good time, now she worried about teenage serial killers and the potential to bring danger into his life yet again, despite Stella’s repeated reassurances that she would keep him safe.</p>
<p>When Stella left for work on Monday morning, Scully decided to put herself to work too. She repainted the guest room, fixed the leaky sink in the bathroom, and weeded the back garden. And it worked. She felt calmer than she had in days when Stella came home that night.</p>
<p>So, Scully spent the rest of the week working on various projects around the house. She repainted the kitchen cabinets, replaced all the blinds in the house, and hung a rack for their coats in the back hallway. The list grew each day, and she threw herself into the work, completing all the projects they’d been talking about tackling since they moved in three years ago.</p>
<p>Stella, for the most part, dodged tarps and drop cloths without complaint, but Scully could feel her frustration mounting, as evidenced by her now daily invitations for Scully to accompany her to the pool, a quiet attempt to distract her from her own methods of distraction.</p>
<p>“Knock it off,” she finally said one night after dinner, when Scully started making a list of projects to complete the following day. “You’re making even <em>me</em> twitchy with your behavior.”</p>
<p>“What?” Scully said, feigning innocence as she tapped her pen against the notepad in front of her.</p>
<p>“It’s going to be fine, Dana. Relax.”</p>
<p>Scully sighed, annoyed and yet somehow grateful that Stella had called her on it. “I just need to stay busy until he gets here.”</p>
<p>“I understand,” Stella said. “But you’re driving me crazy. The house looks like something out of a renovation show. Just…breathe.”</p>
<p>“We haven’t stayed under the same roof since he was a baby,” she said quietly, setting down the pen. “It feels…it’s a lot. I can’t stop worrying something will go wrong.”</p>
<p>“I can only imagine,” Stella said, moving to sit beside her.</p>
<p>Scully exhaled again, unexpected tears sliding over her cheeks. “I’ve been trying to prepare myself for the questions he might ask. We’ll have a lot of time to talk, more than we’ve had in the past. Usually, we see each other at parties and events, you know? This will be different.”</p>
<p>“In a good way,” Stella said, one hand coming to rest on Scully’s thigh. “He may have questions, but he already knows the important details. There are no big revelations to be had.”</p>
<p>How did she always know just what to say? Scully slumped sideways, resting her head on Stella’s shoulder. “Maybe not, but I guess…I fear that once he’s here, and we have all this time together, we’ll feel more like strangers than family.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think that will be the case,” Stella said. “I truly don’t.”</p>
<p>“He’s my son, but I’m not his mother.” The words came out in a broken whisper, fresh tears spilling from her eyes.</p>
<p>“Oh, Dana.” Stella’s arms came around her, drawing her closer. “Your relationship is complicated, but in some way, you <em>are</em> his mother, and I don’t just mean genetics. He chose to stay with us this summer, to get to know you better. You’re important to him, and this visit will solidify that.”</p>
<p>Will was legally an adult now. His interactions with Scully didn’t have to go through the Van De Kamps anymore, not that they had ever tried to keep them apart. But this was different, and they all felt it. She could email him, call him, visit him any time she wanted, in theory, at least.</p>
<p>What she wanted most of all was a permanent place in his life, however small, and she hoped this visit would lay the foundation. At the same time, a hopefully irrational part of her worried it might somehow do the opposite, that this visit would fulfill whatever curiosity Will had about her and allow him to move on with his life without her, once and for all.</p>
<p>She turned, burying her face against the welcome warmth of Stella’s neck. “I’m just so afraid.”</p>
<p>“I know you are.” Stella’s hand rubbed up and down Scully’s back. “But you’ve got to stop disassembling the house. Perhaps you should sign up for a class with Dobby, dog training lessons or something of that sort. Or maybe the university can use you in some capacity for the next week.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she said with relief. “That’s a good idea. I’ll ask.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Stella agreed.</p>
<p>“I know it’s irrational, but Stella, I can’t stop worrying about this Solitaire stuff on the dark web,” she whispered, deciding to get it all off her chest now that they were having the conversation.</p>
<p>“Will is not even on their radar,” Stella assured her. “Everyone involved—victims and perpetrators—are local. Not to mention, he’ll be staying under the same roof with two highly trained professionals, and while it remains up for debate which of us is the better shot, suffice it to say, either of us could and would protect him by any means necessary.”</p>
<p>Scully managed a small smile at that. Indeed, she and Stella had often competed at the shooting range, and while Scully still firmly believed herself to be the superior marksman, Stella was perfectly deadly in her own right. “Okay,” she whispered.</p>
<p>The next morning, Scully was contemplating a visit to the university to see if she could find something to keep herself busy there when her phone rang with Stella’s work extension.</p>
<p>“How do you feel about coming in this week as a consultant?” she asked when Scully connected the call.</p>
<p>“Yes, please,” Scully said, knowing immediately that this was the <em>perfect</em> way to keep herself busy this week, and perhaps help catch a killer while she was at it.</p>
<p>“There’s been another murder,” Stella told her. “And we have reason to believe this one may have been committed by Solitaire himself. I’d like you to assist with the autopsy. Your forensic expertise could be invaluable to the case.”</p>
<p>“I’m on my way,” Scully told her as she ended the call, already jogging upstairs to change. She’d helped out in this capacity many times over the years, returning to her scrubs as a forensic pathologist to assist the Met on a difficult case, although she figured this time, Stella was mostly doing her a favor.</p>
<p>Once she arrived at the station, Scully joined the staff pathologist for the autopsy of a twenty-year-old male who had been stabbed over fifty times, a crime of extreme rage. They carefully catalogued the wounds and were able to extrapolate a distinguishing mark from the hilt of the knife that they passed along to the task force.</p>
<p>Stella set her up in an empty office, and Scully stayed on for the rest of the week, putting the investigative side of her brain to use as she threw herself full force into the investigation. On Thursday, Stella’s team made an arrest. As it turned out, the man behind the Solitaire site was himself barely twenty, a formerly bullied teen with an unfortunately brilliant mind for technology who’d created the site as an elaborate scheme to get revenge on the people in his life he felt had wronged him.</p>
<p>It was disturbing on too many levels for Scully to properly catalog, but it was over. The Solitaire case was closed. There would be no danger—however irrational—to fear during Will’s visit.</p>
<p>On Friday night, she and Stella shared a quiet dinner together as they prepared all the last-minute details for Will’s arrival in the morning. He texted just past six to say he was on his way to the airport. He’d be flying from Wyoming to New York and on to London.</p>
<p>Scully went to bed that night with butterflies fluttering anxiously in her stomach. She woke several times during the night, heart racing and tears on her cheeks, Stella’s arm wrapped comfortingly around her.</p>
<p>When the alarm went off the next morning, she was half-delirious with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She dressed and took Dobby for a quick walk, and then it was time for her and Stella to pick up Will at the airport.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She saw his hair first, shining copper red beneath the harsh airport lighting. He seemed impossibly taller than he’d been at his high school graduation last month, lanky in the way of a teenager who hasn’t quite grown into his frame yet. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, a backpack slung over one shoulder.</p>
<p>Scully felt adrenaline flood her system, tingling through her veins. She’d seen Will maybe a dozen times since she’d given him up, usually at the Van De Kamps’ farm and always in Wyoming. To watch him walking toward her in Heathrow Airport was surreal, so much so that for several long seconds she just stared, rendered completely speechless.</p>
<p>Will looked up and spotted her, breaking into a smile as he lifted a hand to wave in her direction. She waved back, willing herself to stop shaking, to hold back the tears glazing her vision.</p>
<p>“Hi, Dana,” he said as he stopped in front of her, arms fidgeting at his sides as if he were unsure how to greet her.</p>
<p>She took care of that, pulling him in for a quick hug. Her face met the soft fabric of his T-shirt and yeah, he had definitely grown. “Hi,” she said, smiling as she pulled back. “It’s so good to see you. How was your flight?”</p>
<p>“Long,” he said with a laugh. “Hi, Stella.”</p>
<p>“Hi, Will.” She leaned in for a much more reserved hug. “You must be exhausted.”</p>
<p>“Yeah.” He tugged at the strap on his backpack, his gaze darting around the terminal, eyes bright with curiosity.</p>
<p>“Do you have luggage?” Stella asked.</p>
<p>“Nope.” He patted the backpack.</p>
<p>“Well, let’s get out of here, then,” Scully said, turning to lead the way toward the parking garage. “Were you able to sleep on the flight at all?”</p>
<p>“Some,” he said with a shrug, not looking particularly worried about it. Ah, the invincibility of youth.</p>
<p>“I thought we could go home first,” she said. “Let you get settled, eat, nap, whatever you need. Then we can go out later if you’re up for it.” They’d emailed back and forth over the last few weeks, coming up with a rough itinerary for his visit, but they hadn’t planned anything for today, leaving it open in case he just wanted to rest after his flight.</p>
<p>“Yeah, sounds good,” he agreed.</p>
<p>They made casual conversation as they left the airport. Once they were in the car, Will watched wide-eyed out the window as the London skyline came into view.</p>
<p>“This is your first time outside America, right?” she said.</p>
<p>“It’s my first time outside Wyoming.”</p>
<p>“Oh, wow.” She twisted around in her seat to look at him. “I can’t even quite imagine how foreign this is for you, then.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s wild.”</p>
<p>“My dad was in the navy,” she told him, struck by the dichotomy of him not knowing these details about his biological grandfather. “So we moved all over the world while I was growing up. I guess I don’t know what it’s like, staying in one place.”</p>
<p>“It’s very…small,” he said. “Or at least, it’s starting to feel that way now that I’m so far from home. I’ve always wanted to travel.”</p>
<p>“And when I was growing up, I desperately wanted to stay put,” she said with a smile. “I hated moving so frequently, always having to leave my friends behind and start over.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that part would suck,” Will agreed.</p>
<p>“Did you travel much as a child?” she asked Stella.</p>
<p>She shook her head, not taking her eyes off the road. “Born and raised in London. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else, I’m afraid.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Scully said with a laugh. “I can’t blame you. I came here for what was supposed to be two months seven years ago, and I never left.” She reached over to squeeze Stella’s hand.</p>
<p>In the backseat, Will’s brows knitted as he stared at their joined hands. Stella’s engagement ring sparkled between their linked fingers, a statement of its own, one Scully had been unsure how or when to broach. “You…you’re getting married?”</p>
<p>He directed his question at Stella, who darted an uneasy glance at Scully.</p>
<p>She released Stella’s hand, hoping the atmosphere in the car hadn’t turned as awkward as it felt to her in that moment. “Yes, we’re getting married.”</p>
<p>“You and Stella?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she told him.</p>
<p>“That’s cool.” Will’s surprise disappeared behind the casually aloof expression he’d worn since his arrival in London, but his posture was stiffer now, and Scully wasn’t sure which part of the situation he was uncomfortable with, the fact that she was getting married, or that she was marrying Stella. He’d been raised Protestant in a very religious community, and maybe he didn’t approve of same sex marriage. Her stomach plummeted at the thought.</p>
<p>She’d never sensed disapproval from the Van De Kamps, but she’d never flaunted her relationship with Stella in front of them either, if for no other reason, for Mulder’s sake. This wasn’t the time—in the car on the way home from the airport—but she’d find time during his visit to talk to him about it, to make sure everything was okay.</p>
<p>Stella guided the car off the M4 and into the outskirts of London. Notting Hill had become both her and Scully’s favorite neighborhood, with its quaint, colorful rowhouses, shopping, and gardens. She absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to welcome Will into their home.</p>
<p>If things in the car had gotten slightly awkward, she was going to ignore it for now, not allowing herself to get trapped in her insecurities in front of Will. She’d do that later, in bed with Stella, but she would absolutely not let anything derail his first day in London.</p>
<p>“I can’t wait for you to meet Dobby,” she told him.</p>
<p>He grinned, visibly relaxing. “Yeah, it’s really cool that you got a dog.”</p>
<p>“He’s still pretty new. I don’t even know if he knows how to sit. Maybe I should take a class with him.”</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s easy,” Will told her. “I helped train all our dogs on the farm. I could teach you.”</p>
<p>“I’d love that,” she told him gratefully. She could definitely benefit from some dog training tips, and it also sounded like a wonderful opportunity for her to bond with Will.</p>
<p>Stella turned the car onto their street, pulling into the space behind the house. The rosebush she’d planted earlier that spring seemed to have wilted a bit since Dobby’s arrival, and Scully mentally chastised herself for letting him pee on it when Stella was at work.</p>
<p>“Nice,” Will said as he entered their house, looking around.</p>
<p>A series of sharp yaps echoed from the living room, and Scully and Stella exchanged a startled glance. Dobby never barked. In fact, she’d never heard him make the sound that currently filled their house. But now that she thought about it, they hadn’t had a guest since Dobby arrived either. She hurried to his crate and let him out.</p>
<p>He darted down the hall to where Will stood, barking the whole way. Will bent to greet him, and the next thing Scully knew, the dog was in his lap, licking his face excitedly. Well, that hadn’t taken long.</p>
<p>“Hungry?” she asked Will.</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure,” he said, rubbing Dobby vigorously behind the ears.</p>
<p>As it turned out, Will was <em>quite</em> hungry. In anticipation of having a teenage boy in the house—she had two brothers and a good memory, after all—she’d stocked up the fridge. She made pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, and Will put away two full plates worth…not to mention the bites he snuck under the table to Dobby.</p>
<p>Stella’s left eye had begun to twitch by the end of their meal, a sure tell that she was exerting extreme care not to lose her patience. Feeding the dog from the table was a grievous offense in her book, and luckily for her, Scully shared the sentiment. For Dobby, this might be the luckiest morning of his life, receiving contraband bacon under their noses. Unsurprisingly, Will was his new favorite person, and Dobby proceeded to follow him all over the house as Scully took him on a quick tour.</p>
<p>After he’d settled in, Will took a nap upstairs in the guest room, and then they visited the London Dungeon, a rather absurd tourist attraction that Stella had vehemently opposed when Will first emailed the link to Scully. She took it as a testament of Stella’s love that she swallowed her pride and sat through a thoroughly cheesy live show that brought to life various sordid events from London’s history.</p>
<p>Afterward, since it was literally right across the way, Scully insisted that they ride the London Eye. Will wasn’t too interested in the idea of riding a Ferris wheel, and Stella was visibly irritated at being forced to play tourist, but by the time they’d all made it into one of the glass pods, Scully was pretty sure their attitudes had changed.</p>
<p>“Oh, wild, I can see Big Ben over there,” Will said, whipping out his cell phone.</p>
<p>Even Stella seemed impressed as she watched London slowly unfurl below them. While Will stalked the perimeter of the capsule, snapping photos and taking selfies, Scully tucked an arm around Stella’s waist, drawing her in for a quick hug.</p>
<p>“It’s your first time, isn’t it?” she asked, remembering Stella’s admission after Scully rode the London Eye with her mom during her first trip to London.</p>
<p>Stella smirked, relaxing against her. “It is.”</p>
<p>“And here I thought I came along too late in your life to deflower you.”</p>
<p>Stella teased her hair, shooting Scully a loaded look. “As I recall, you’ve given me at least one memorable first.”</p>
<p>Scully sucked in a breath. In all the years they’d known each other, they’d never discussed that night, burgers and fudge and scars revealed in a hotel bed over two decades ago. Scully had always wondered, but never asked, if that had indeed been the first time Stella had let anyone go down on her.</p>
<p>An unspoken bond had formed between them that night, a bond that hadn’t been severed by the fourteen-year separation that followed. And here they were, riding the London Eye together with engagement rings on their fingers and a son that Scully had only dreamed of that long ago day, a son she’d been told she’d never have, that she thought she’d lost forever, standing against the glass a few feet away, pulling a ridiculous face as he took a selfie with parliament as a backdrop.</p>
<p>
  <em>Pinch me.</em>
</p>
<p>She swiped at a tear, giving Stella a quick kiss. “I’m going to give you another memorable first in a few months.”</p>
<p>“Is that so?” Stella returned her gaze to the city below as if she hadn’t just tossed out one of the most intimate declarations of their relationship.</p>
<p>“Two words: wedding night,” Scully told her, and then because she just couldn’t let the moment pass without acknowledging it, she whispered, “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“I believe I was thanking <em>you</em> that night,” Stella said with a faint smile.</p>
<p>What had gotten into her? If Scully had known riding the London Eye would loosen her tongue to this extent, she’d have dragged her into one of these capsules years ago.</p>
<p>“Forgive me for saying so, but your son takes after his father,” Stella murmured, nodding toward Will, who was messing with his hair as he eyed a couple of teenage girls at the other end of the capsule. He approached, giving the girls a flirtatious smile that was indeed so much like Mulder, it made Scully’s breath catch for the second time in as many minutes.</p>
<p>She gave her head a slight shake. “It’s still startling at times, the resemblance.”</p>
<p>“Indeed,” Stella agreed.</p>
<p>After they’d made one full revolution over the city, they hopped off the London Eye—literally, since passengers boarded and disembarked while it was in motion, a fact Will seemed to enjoy as much as the ride itself—and went home to check on Dobby before heading to The Flying Pig for dinner. Per an earlier discussion with the Van De Kamps, Will stuck to soda, even though he could legally order beer here in the UK. He was thrilled with his fish and chips, though, and even asked if they could come here again tomorrow night so he could try the steak pie.</p>
<p>“Of course,” she told him. <em>Anything you want.</em></p>
<p>The next day was spent on more sightseeing, a ride on one of London’s famous double-decker buses, and a Jack the Ripper tour, during which Stella interjected with constant whispered corrections to the information their tour guide provided. By the end of the tour, Will was paying more attention to her than the guide.</p>
<p>On Monday, Stella returned to work, and Scully and Will went to Warner Brothers Studios for the official Harry Potter studio tour. Will was on the cusp of being too old for it, but he’d enthusiastically agreed when she suggested it weeks ago over email. It seemed only fitting, after their reunion at his Harry Potter themed party.</p>
<p>As they strolled through various sets and props from the movies, they both forgot they were too old for this, striking silly poses and taking entirely too many pictures on their phones. They even did a themed portrait together in their blue-lined Ravenclaw robes that had just become one of her most treasured possessions. They shared an absolutely magical day and topped it off with a return visit to their neighborhood pub with Stella that evening so Will could eat steak pie.</p>
<p>After dinner, Stella went upstairs to do some paperwork, which Scully knew was bullshit. Stella never did paperwork on Mondays, but she was giving Scully time alone with her son, and she could hardly argue with it. They sat on the couch together, sodas in hand.</p>
<p>“So, what do you think of London so far?”</p>
<p>“It’s cool,” he said, his default answer. “I like it here.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad,” she told him.</p>
<p>She lifted her soda to take a sip, and Will’s gaze latched on to the ring on her finger, his brow furrowing slightly. Her first inclination was to ignore it, to skate through this visit without scratching the surface on their relationship, but when would she ever get this chance again? She had to make sure they were okay.</p>
<p>“Does it bother you?” she asked. “That I’m marrying Stella. You can tell me.”</p>
<p>He tensed, dropping his gaze to the Coke can in his hands. “Course not.”</p>
<p>“Will…”</p>
<p>He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I guess I just never realized…”</p>
<p>“That we’re together?” She’d told him. She knew she had. But maybe he’d been too young to understand at the time? <em>Fuck.</em></p>
<p>“I knew, but I guess somehow in my mind, I thought of you as friends.” He flinched at his admission.</p>
<p>“Ah.” She wished the drink in her hand was something infinitely stronger than Coke. “Do you want to talk about it?”</p>
<p>“Not really.” His cheeks darkened, and he fidgeted with his soda can.</p>
<p>“Is it because we’re both women?”</p>
<p>“I’m not homophobic,” he said, meeting her eyes for the first time since the conversation had started. “I just…I don’t know. The Bible says…”</p>
<p>“Oh, I know,” she said with a laugh, touching the cross at her throat. “I’m Catholic. Believe me, I grew up being taught all the same things as you.”</p>
<p>“So how do you make sense of it?” he asked, a genuine curiosity in his voice now. “If God says marriage is between a man and a woman?”</p>
<p>“Well, first of all, I don’t take everything in the Bible literally. None of us do. We don’t take an eye for an eye anymore, right? We have laws to punish people now, and for many years, it was my job to uphold those laws.”</p>
<p>Will nodded, looking thoughtful.</p>
<p>“So, I try to look at the overall message, and God doesn’t make mistakes, right?”</p>
<p>“Right,” Will agreed.</p>
<p>“Then it can’t be wrong for Stella and me to love each other. It can’t be wrong for <em>any</em> two consenting adults to fall in love, no matter their gender. Can you honestly imagine God not wanting us to find love with the person who makes us happy?”</p>
<p>“No,” he said quietly.</p>
<p>“I think that sometimes, people interpret the Bible to mean what they want it to mean, but the truth is that, when it was written, sexuality wasn’t yet defined. There wasn’t even a word for homosexuality at the time, although certainly people of all sexual orientations existed.”</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>She nodded. “Think about it. When the Bible was written, people lived in a patriarchal culture that allowed men to own women as property, when marriage was mostly seen as a way to join families for monetary gain. It was more of a property transaction than anything to do with love. None of that is true anymore.”</p>
<p>“I…I never thought of it like that before.”</p>
<p>“Nowadays, marriage is a ceremony where two people promise to love and cherish each other forever, and I personally believe that God wants us all to be happy, no matter who we love…again assuming both parties are consenting adults.”</p>
<p>“That makes a lot of sense,” Will said.</p>
<p>“Well, one thing to know about me is that I’m a Catholic <em>and</em> a scientist,” she told him with a laugh. “And I love people for who they are, not their gender.”</p>
<p>“Did you love Mulder?” he asked hesitantly.</p>
<p>“I did. I loved him <em>so</em> much.” She saw the vulnerability on Will’s face. How difficult must it be for him, processing all the intricacies of her life, so different from how he’d been raised? “For a long time, I thought he was the love of my life.”</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“We went through some really awful things together, so many awful things that we both became…broken, I guess is the best word.” She sucked in a breath, pain rearing in her chest as she faced the trauma of those years, trying to decide how much of it she should share with Will. “Mulder was abducted almost the entire time I was pregnant with you, and then he was only back for a short time before he had to go into hiding. He was only able to spend two days with you after you were born.”</p>
<p>Will gave her a beseeching look. “Tell me what it was like, when I was a baby.”</p>
<p>She set her soda down, brushing away tears. “It was both the best and worst time in my life. I had wanted to be a mother so badly. I had hoped and prayed for years, but I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant. You were a miracle. You were <em>my</em> miracle, mine and Mulder’s.”</p>
<p>Will was quiet, his eyes locked on hers.</p>
<p>“Right from the start, you were in danger. They came after you when I was still pregnant. They came for you when you were born. I tried <em>so hard</em> to keep you safe, but you were kidnapped and endangered so many times. I was all alone, and I was so terrified. Giving you up was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was the only way I knew to keep you safe.”</p>
<p>“It sounds like something out of a movie, not my life,” Will said, fidgeting with his can. “I’m just a farm kid from Wyoming.”</p>
<p>“Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like my life either,” she admitted, drying her cheeks. “Mulder and I got on the wrong end of some very bad people while we were in the FBI, but it all went too far. We lost too much. I left the bureau, shortly after I lost you.”</p>
<p>“I don’t understand. What did they want with me?”</p>
<p>“They thought…they thought you were the result of an experiment, that you had almost superhuman DNA. They had tested on me without my consent, and they thought you were the result.” She held her pain, her tears, her heartbreak in check for Will’s sake. He didn’t need to know all the ways her body and her trust had been violated. “But the truth is that you were just a baby, born to two people who loved you—and each other—so much. You were just a normal kid, Will. You <em>are</em> that farm kid from Wyoming.”</p>
<p>This was the conversation she’d been dreading, and yet, she found herself glad for it now. These were things that needed to be said for him to understand where he’d come from and why she had to give him up. Hopefully, it would bring her and Will closer together now that he was an adult, now that he was here in her home by his own volition, attempting to form a new relationship with her.</p>
<p>“To answer your other question, about me and Mulder, well…by the time we finally got a chance to be together, <em>really</em> be together, we’d already been through too much. He felt lost without his work at the FBI, and I could never go back to that life. We wanted different things, and as it turned out, we were both happier once we went back to just being friends.”</p>
<p>“But you <em>are</em> friends?”</p>
<p>“He’s my best friend,” she told him. “He’s family to me, in any way that counts.”</p>
<p>“Am I?” Will asked, darting a hesitant glance in her direction. “Family to you?”</p>
<p>“Oh God.” The tears were flowing again, despite her desperate attempts to keep them in check. “I have tried so hard not to let myself think of you in those terms. I gave up the right to call you my son, but you have been in my heart every day since you became a Van De Kamp. You will always be there. Always.” She pressed a hand to her heart for emphasis.</p>
<p>“That’s…deep,” he said, sounding every ounce the awkward teenager.</p>
<p>“I know.” She laughed through her tears. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be.” When he looked at her then, there was something else in his expression, something earnest, almost sad. “I said I was just a farm boy from Wyoming, but that’s not totally true.”</p>
<p>Her chest seized, memories of a mobile turning above his crib flooding her mind. She heard its creaky joints as clearly as if she were still in the room with it, a sound that had fueled her nightmares for years. <em>Oh God</em>. “No?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “When I was little, I sometimes felt…different. I dreamed about a mom who looked like me, a mom with red hair.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Will,” she whispered.</p>
<p>“The stories you tell about when I was a baby sound fake. They sound like something out of a bad movie, but they also feel real to me somehow. I guess because I was there.”</p>
<p>She gulped. “Yes, you were.”</p>
<p>“It feels like you’ve always been part of my life,” he said quietly. “You’ve been around since I was a kid, at my parties and stuff. I do think of you like family.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” she whispered, again losing the battle with her tears. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” She paused. “I love you.” She blurted the words, praying she hadn’t taken the moment too far.</p>
<p>But Will just smiled. “I love you too.”</p>
<p>It was the first time he’d ever said those words to her, and they were like balm, smoothing away the scars on her soul. She pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. In that moment, their relationship had come full circle from family to strangers back to family.</p>
<p>And this time she didn’t have to let him go.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stella was in the kitchen, preparing a travel mug of coffee to bring with her to the office when Will came in, red hair sticking out haphazardly as if he’d just rolled out of bed. It was Friday, his last full day in London. She’d enjoyed having him here this week. As far as she could tell, his visit seemed to have gone exceedingly well. Scully had come to bed each night with a peaceful smile on her face, and what more could Stella ask for?</p>
<p>“Good morning,” she said, gesturing to the coffee pot, which was still half full. “Coffee?”</p>
<p>“Thanks.” He moved to it and poured himself a mug. “Hey, ah, do you think, if I came with you…could you give me a tour?”</p>
<p>“Hm?” She sipped her coffee, not quite following.</p>
<p>“At the Met,” he clarified.</p>
<p>“You want a tour of the Met?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” He fixed her with those hazel eyes, so much like Mulder’s.</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“I’m curious,” he said with a shrug.</p>
<p>“Did you and Dana have anything planned today?” she asked as her brain connected the dots, his interest in the London Dungeon, the Jack the Ripper tour, and now his request to visit the Met. Well, this was a surprise, and she wasn’t at all sure how Scully would react.</p>
<p>“She’s going to take me to the British Museum,” Will said. “But we definitely have time to stop by the Met too, if you have a few minutes to show me around.”</p>
<p>“If it’s all right with her, it’s fine with me,” Stella told him, deferring the decision to Scully.</p>
<p>“If what’s all right with me?” she asked as she came in through the back door with Dobby. She unclipped his leash, and the little dog bounded toward Will, bouncing against his legs in greeting.</p>
<p>Will bent to pet him. “I asked if Stella could show me around the Met.”</p>
<p>Scully paused, brow furrowed. “Oh. Yeah, sure.”</p>
<p>Stella nodded. “I don’t have any meetings this morning. You could ride in with me if you like.”</p>
<p>“I’ll meet you guys there in an hour or so?” Scully said, still looking slightly confused.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Stella agreed, turning to Will. “Are you ready?”</p>
<p>His eyes widened behind his coffee mug. “Oh, I’ll just…be right back.” He set down the mug and darted out of the kitchen with Dobby at his heels.</p>
<p>“A tour of the Met?” Scully asked, stepping in to press a quick kiss against Stella’s lips.</p>
<p>“You know as much as I do,” she said. “Do you mind?”</p>
<p>“No, it’s fine,” Scully said. “Just…unexpected.”</p>
<p>“Indeed.” Stella took a second travel mug from the cabinet and poured Will’s coffee into it.</p>
<p>“Do you think…” Scully blinked, staring at Stella. “He wants to be a cop?”</p>
<p>“It’s possible,” she said. “I have a feeling we’ll know soon.”</p>
<p>He came back into the kitchen a few minutes later, this time dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, his hair neatly combed. Stella handed the mug to him.</p>
<p>“Oh, thanks,” he said as he took it. “I’ll see you in a little while, Dana.”</p>
<p>“Have fun,” she called after them.</p>
<p>Stella led the way to the car. The morning was crisp but warm, with hardly a cloud in sight. “Looks like a nice day,” she commented for the sake of conversation.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Will said as he climbed into the passenger seat beside her. “It rains a lot here.”</p>
<p>“That it does. Have you enjoyed London?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I mean, I don’t have much to compare it to, but I think it’s great.” He settled in with his coffee as she began to drive. “I can hardly believe I saw Stonehenge yesterday. That’s…” He brought his hands to the sides of his face, miming his head exploding.</p>
<p>Stella chuckled. “I can imagine.”</p>
<p>“Have you seen it?”</p>
<p>“I have,” she told him. “My father took me to see it when I was a child. I remember being disappointed that we couldn’t actually walk among the stones.”</p>
<p>“That was a bummer,” Will agreed. “I get it, though. They’d get ruined if people were allowed to touch them.”</p>
<p>“Definitely. What do you plan to study when you start college in the fall?”</p>
<p>“Well,” he said, darting a glance at her that almost certainly confirmed her suspicions about his motivation for this tour. “Officially, I’m a chemistry major, but I’m considering a switch to criminal justice.”</p>
<p>She felt a smile tugging at her lips. “Chemistry, hm?”</p>
<p>“I love science.”</p>
<p><em>Just like his mother</em>. “How do your parents feel about you pursuing criminal justice?”</p>
<p>“I haven’t run it past them yet,” he admitted. “I thought I’d talk to you and Dana first while I was here to try to figure out if it’s what I really want.”</p>
<p>“What is it about criminal justice that appeals to you?” she asked.</p>
<p>“All of it,” he said, an excitement in his tone that hadn’t been there before. “I love puzzling through clues and trying to figure out what happened and who did it. After I booked my trip here, I read every book about Jack the Ripper I could get my hands on.”</p>
<p>“Ah,” she said. “So who do you think he was? Do you have a theory?”</p>
<p>“Oh, definitely Aaron Kosminski,” Will said. “A few years ago, they were able to find his DNA on one of the victim’s shawls.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I heard about that.” Stella had always been a bit of a Ripper enthusiast herself. “I’ve had several theories over the years. At one point, I was convinced ‘Jack’ was actually ‘Jill,’ but I confess I must agree with you about Aaron Kosminski. The DNA evidence is pretty damning.”</p>
<p>“It really is,” Will said, looking thrilled that she agreed with him.</p>
<p>“Do you see yourself on the investigative side of things, or perhaps using your chemistry degree to run those DNA samples?”</p>
<p>“That’s a good question.” He was quiet for a few minutes, seemingly lost in thought. “I’m not sure I see myself on the streets, actually catching the bad guys, to be honest.”</p>
<p>“It’s not for everyone,” Stella said, inwardly relieved for Scully’s sake…and probably the Van De Kamps too. It was a dangerous life, especially in America with so many guns on the streets. “There are so many other roles to consider, though, both in and out of the lab. For instance, crime scene techs also utilize a great deal of science when analyzing evidence, blood spatter analysis, all sorts of things.”</p>
<p>“This is exactly why I wanted to talk to you,” Will said, legs bouncing. “I think one of those jobs might really be what I’m looking for.”</p>
<p>“I’ll take you to meet our lab rats.”</p>
<p>His eyes bugged for a moment before he laughed. “Oh, you mean…”</p>
<p>“The techs,” she confirmed. “No rodents to be found at the station, not even in the basement.”</p>
<p>“Good, because I’m against animal testing,” he said adamantly.</p>
<p>She cast an approving glance in his direction. Scully’s son was going to make a fine man. “Did Dana tell you how we got Dobby?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s really cool, I mean, not that his owner was killed, but that you kept him from going to the shelter.”</p>
<p>She pulled into the garage beneath the station, swiping her pass as Will became visibly more excited beside her. She parked, and they rode the lift together to the lobby, where she stopped at the reception desk to get a visitor’s pass for him. Unofficially, she could have shown him around quickly without one, but she had a feeling he’d get a thrill out of it, and sure enough, his chest puffed up as he clipped the plastic badge with the Met’s logo to the lapel of his shirt.</p>
<p>William Van De Kamp.</p>
<p>Belatedly, she realized a question she should have asked both Will and Scully before she brought him into her workplace. “Come into my office for a moment,” she told him, gesturing for him to follow her. They crossed the reception area and walked to her office at the end of the hall.</p>
<p>“Nice,” Will commented as he followed her into her space, standing with his hands in the pockets of his jeans as she shut the door behind him.</p>
<p>“How would you like me to introduce you?” she asked. “Many of my colleagues know Dana quite well, and with your hair, well…you look a lot like her. Someone may ask.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Will went wide-eyed for a moment. “Can you say I’m, um, a relative of hers?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Stella agreed. That was probably the best solution. Will had a level head on those lanky shoulders. She opened the door, leading the way out of her office. “I’m afraid you’ll find this hallway rather boring, upper management types.”</p>
<p>Will gave her a goofy grin, looking so much like Mulder. “None of it’s boring to me.”</p>
<p>She led the way to the central part of the station, filled with young officers, some seated at their desks, others gathered around a large white board in back. “It’s coming up on shift change,” she told Will. “So we’ve got more bodies in here than usual. These constables are writing up reports, closing out paperwork before they go home, while the day shift gets ready to go out on patrol.”</p>
<p>“Do they have set shifts?” Will asked.</p>
<p>“It generally rotates every three months, so no one is stuck on the night shift indefinitely.”</p>
<p>“What’s going on back there?” He gestured toward the white board. “Or is that classified?”</p>
<p>Her lips twitched at his terminology. “They’re organizing evidence from a serial case that we just closed, preparing it for trial.”</p>
<p>“A real serial killer?” Will stared at her, mouth slightly agape.</p>
<p>“Yes. Dana actually came in as a consultant last week to help catch him.”</p>
<p>“Wow,” Will said, looking awestruck.</p>
<p>“Hi, Stella,” Stephen called as he approached from the direction of the break room. He turned a curious gaze on Will, extending a hand in greeting. “And you almost certainly have to be related to Dana. DSI Stephen Chen.”</p>
<p>“I’m Will, and yes I am,” Will told him as he shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>“Likewise,” Stephen told him. “Here for a look around?”</p>
<p>“Will’s considering a career in law enforcement,” Stella told him.</p>
<p>“Well, you’ve scored yourself quite the tour guide,” Stephen said, giving Will a conspiratorial wink. “Not sure if she’s told you, but Stella’s the boss around here. Chief Superintendent Gibson. Most of the people in this room are mildly terrified of her, including me.”</p>
<p>“That’s not true,” she muttered, fighting a smile.</p>
<p>“Look at them, Will,” Stephen said, gesturing to a couple of constables at a nearby desk, hunched over a laptop. On cue, one of them glanced over his shoulder at them before jumping back into his work with renewed vigor. “See how busy they act when she’s in the room?”</p>
<p>Will darted a glance at Stella, looking as if he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or salute her.</p>
<p>“Pay him no mind,” she told Will, trying to hide her amusement.</p>
<p>“I’ll let you two get back to your tour. Feel free to stop in, Will. My office is only a few doors down from Stella’s.” With a wave, he was off.</p>
<p>“Shall we?” she said to Will.</p>
<p>He gave her a shy smile, obviously thrown by the things Stephen had told him.</p>
<p>Of course, one of the young constables chose that moment to walk past, dipping his head at her politely. “Ma’am.”</p>
<p>Will’s eyes widened comically.</p>
<p>“All right,” she said as they started to walk, still fighting a smile. “I am the boss, and maybe a few of these officers find me slightly…intimidating, but they have no reason to, as long as they do their jobs properly.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Will said, looking at her with newfound respect.</p>
<p>She took him to the lab and introduced him around, watching fondly as he geeked out over all the equipment. Terra, one of the techs, took Will under her wing, explaining what she was working on and showing him how everything worked. Soon, she had Will seated at one of the microscopes, comparing two sample fibers.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, ma’am, they’re both test samples,” she told Stella.</p>
<p>Will was clearly fascinated by everything he saw, the aloof teenager she’d spent the week with transforming into an eager student, soaking up everything Terra showed him.</p>
<p>After they left the lab, Stella took him past their interview rooms, the locker room, and property lockup, where evidence was kept. Will took it all in with rapt attention. By the time they’d looped back around to her office, Scully waited inside, kicked back behind Stella’s desk with a white paper bakery bag in front of her.</p>
<p>“How was your tour?” she asked, opening the bakery bag to pass out orange glazed scones, a favorite of hers and Stella’s.</p>
<p>“It was so great,” Will told her before launching into a lengthy recap of everything he’d seen and done while impressively devouring two scones. “Oh, and I didn’t realize Stella was such a big deal around here.”</p>
<p>Scully threw her head back with a laugh, still comfortably seated in Stella’s chair. “Has she been showing off for you?”</p>
<p>“No,” Will said, wiping crumbs from his chin as he shot Stella an apologetic glance.</p>
<p>“Stephen may have given him some ideas,” Stella said, setting her mostly uneaten scone on the desk. Something about it tasted…off, but based on the way Scully and Will were devouring them, maybe it was just her.</p>
<p>“That sounds like Stephen,” Scully agreed with a smile, before giving Will a much more serious look. “But all jokes aside, Stella got where she is through hard work, determination, and always treating people with respect. Plus, she’s damn good at her job.”</p>
<p>“I believe it,” he said, bobbing his head in affirmation.</p>
<p>“And speaking of her job, we’d better let her get to it.” Scully rose, carefully sweeping crumbs off Stella’s desk into her outstretched palm. “Ready?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he agreed, turning to Stella. “Thanks again for showing me around. I really appreciate it, and I learned a lot.”</p>
<p>“You’re quite welcome. Have fun at the museum.” She stepped around her desk to take the chair Scully had vacated, wincing as she felt a pinch in her abdomen. It had been there on and off all morning. Perhaps she’d tweaked something during her swim yesterday, or perhaps even more unfortunately, it was a new peri-menopause symptom she hadn’t been prepared for. God, she loathed getting older.</p>
<p>Perhaps she’d ask Scully about it later.</p>
<p>She forgot all about it once she got home that evening, though, as Scully and Will were waiting to whisk her off to the pub for one last dinner together before his flight in the morning. As they ate, he regaled her with tales of Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone before shifting gears to ask her and Scully seemingly endless questions about their experiences in law enforcement.</p>
<p>“I confess, I had no idea you were interested in police work,” Scully said as they finished their meal, something hesitant in her expression.</p>
<p>“I’ve given it a lot of thought lately,” he said. “You know, with college coming up in the fall. Actually, after this morning, I think my future might be in lab work or crime scene analysis, maybe not chasing criminals on the streets.”</p>
<p>“I think that might be an excellent fit,” Stella said, hoping she wasn’t stepping on Scully’s toes, but Will had seemed to come alive in the lab this morning. She knew the look she’d seen in his eyes, because it was how she’d felt the first time she stepped foot inside the Met.</p>
<p>“I might even join the FBI.” His eyes locked on Scully’s as he said it, and she promptly choked on her burger.</p>
<p>She coughed until her eyes watered, then sucked down half her beer before saying, “Oh.”</p>
<p>“It’s certainly in your DNA,” Stella quipped, and they both laughed.</p>
<p>“It is,” Will agreed. “None of the Van De Kamps are into science or law enforcement.”</p>
<p>Scully’s eyes were suspiciously glossy, and Stella didn’t think it had anything to do with her recent coughing fit. “I don’t know whether to be terrified or honored, but for tonight, I’m going to go with honored.” She leaned in to wrap an arm around Will’s shoulders.</p>
<p>He blushed but didn’t pull away.</p>
<p>“I’m so glad I got to spend this week with you,” she said as she released him.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said, full awkward teenager attitude back in effect. “It’s been really cool getting to know you guys better.”</p>
<p>“Well, we’d love to have you back any time,” she told him. “Consider it an open invitation.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” Stella agreed. “Our house is your house.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, cool,” he said, reaching for his soda. “I’ll definitely be back. And, um, I just wanted to say that I’m really happy for you guys, getting married and all.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Scully said, giving him another hug. “Now, it’s your last night in London, and I think that calls for dessert. You in?”</p>
<p>“Definitely,” he said with a wide smile.</p>
<p>“Stella?”</p>
<p>“Pass,” she said. “But I might steal a bit of yours, depending what you order.”</p>
<p>“Not hungry tonight?” Scully asked, glancing at Stella’s plate.</p>
<p>“Just a bit of indigestion, I think.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Scully said sympathetically.</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s just indigestion.”</em>
</p>
<p>That’s what her father had said, night after night as he pushed away his uneaten dinner. Stella resisted the urge to press a hand against the tenderness in her abdomen. She’d tried that earlier, but it felt worse when she touched it. And now that the memory had surfaced, she couldn’t shove it back, because this was exactly how her father’s cancer had started. Fear knifed through her, stealing the air from her lungs. “I’ll take an antacid when we get home.”</p>
<p>“More for us then,” Scully told Will.</p>
<p>She ordered a chocolate pudding, and he got a slice of sticky toffee pie. When dessert arrived, Stella forced herself to smile as she raised her glass to toast Will’s last night in London.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My apologies in advance for this one. It's kind of a lot. xx.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>I’m not going to cry.</em>
</p><p>Scully watched as Will disappeared into the crowd on the other side of the security checkpoint, headed back to America. Stella’s arm rested across her shoulders, offering silent support. They stood there until he was out of sight, and then they stood for another minute while Scully composed herself.</p><p>She leaned into Stella’s embrace, taking measured breaths until the tears had receded. “Did that really happen?”</p><p>“Which part?” Stella asked.</p><p>“All of it.” She straightened, blinking to clear her vision. “It was good, right?”</p><p>“It was wonderful.” Stella gave her a quick kiss before leading the way to the exit.</p><p>Scully smiled all the way to the car. Will’s visit had been everything she’d hoped for, and more. They’d talked. They’d bonded. They’d said their first ‘I love you,’s since he was a baby, not to mention all the activities and sightseeing they’d done together. He was a real, permanent part of her life now, and she was so grateful, she could cry.</p><p>She had mixed feelings over his interest in law enforcement—especially the FBI. That life had cost her so much. It had almost cost her everything, until she’d forged a new life here in London with Stella. But Will’s interest seemed to lean more toward behind-the-scenes work, not as a gun carrying agent.</p><p>And when she removed the discomfort stemming from her own experience in the FBI, she couldn’t be anything but flattered—honored, even—that he might choose to follow in her and Mulder’s footsteps. Maybe, when all was said and done, it would be something they had in common, something he didn’t share with the Van De Kamps.</p><p>After this visit, she couldn’t imagine losing her place in his life, no matter what career he chose, and that was the greatest gift of all. She was more to him now than a person who looked like him and attended his birthday parties. They were family.</p><p>She was quiet during the drive home, lost in her own thoughts. Back at the house, she took Dobby for his daily walk. But while she had hoped it would be a chance for her and Stella to catch up, since they hadn’t had much time alone this past week, Stella stayed home, claiming she’d tweaked a muscle swimming.</p><p>So Scully walked Dobby by herself, replaying her week with Will, occasionally bringing up photos on her phone to remember a certain moment; their silly selfie on the London Eye, the photo their waiter at The Flying Pig had taken of the three of them on Will’s first night here, Will’s best zombie pose next to the Egyptian mummies at the British Museum.</p><p>Dobby yipped, tugging the leash as he attempted to chase a squirrel. He’d been pretty taken with Will too. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was a little disappointed now that his favorite table-feeding teenager had gone home.</p><p>“Want to do something together this afternoon?” she asked Stella when she walked back into the house.</p><p>Stella gave her an apologetic look. “I wish I could, but I desperately need to catch up on prep work for the Solitaire trial. You know how it is.”</p><p>“I do,” Scully said. She knew exactly how much work was involved in bringing a big case like Solitaire to trial, and she also knew Stella had put off what she could last week in order to spend more time with Will during his visit. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”</p><p>Stella went upstairs to their home office to work, and she stayed there until dinner. By bedtime, though, Scully was starting to get a…vibe from her. Stella seemed distant, reserved even, and Scully wasn’t sure what to make of it. Maybe she was just distracted. She often got quiet when she was working through a case in that brilliant brain of hers.</p><p>When they climbed into bed, Scully turned to her, craving the comfort of Stella’s touch, especially now that they didn’t have to worry about being quiet because of the teenager down the hall. She pulled Stella in for a kiss, one hand slipping beneath her nightgown.</p><p>“Good night,” Stella whispered, rolling away to shut off the light, her back to Scully.</p><p>Scully lay there, blinking into the darkness. “Night.”</p><p>She rolled to her back, an unsettled feeling in her gut. Stella had mentioned a strained muscle earlier, but that wouldn’t stop her from having sex. Nothing deterred Stella when it came to sex, and in fact, she often sought it out at times when she was hurting. Scully closed her eyes, remembering Stella’s cracked ribs seven years ago, her fractured cheekbone, the stitches on her brow. She’d been insatiable.</p><p>So this wasn’t about pain. <em>Then what is it about?</em> Maybe Scully was reading too much into it. Maybe Stella was just tired. Come to think of it, so was Scully. Actually, she was exhausted. With a week’s worth of happy memories at the forefront of her brain, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.</p><p>On Sunday morning, she rose and got ready for her day, hoping to shake off whatever weirdness had been between her and Stella yesterday. “What do you want to do today?” she asked over breakfast.</p><p>“Not much,” Stella answered, not looking up from her phone. “I have more work to catch up on, I’m afraid.”</p><p>“Oh,” she said, disappointment swelling inside her. Surely, the Solitaire case shouldn’t take up Stella’s entire weekend. She was the Chief Superintendent now, after all. Most of the trial prep would fall to the DSI overseeing the case. Something else was going on. “Up for joining Dobby and me for a walk this morning?”</p><p>“Not today.”</p><p>“We could watch a movie,” Scully suggested. “Or I think there’s a new episode of that BBC crime show you like.”</p><p>“We’ll see.” Stella rose from her chair, giving Scully a quick kiss before she left the kitchen. Something about the way she moved reminded Scully again of those first weeks after Paul Spector’s attack, a rigidity to her spine as if she were trying not to aggravate an injury.</p><p>But in all the years Scully had known her, Stella had never injured herself swimming. What demons had she been attempting to tame to have swum aggressively enough to do this kind of damage to herself?</p><p>They wandered through their day, drifting around each other in the house while Stella remained distant and quiet, eventually retreating with her laptop to work in bed, an old habit she hadn’t fallen back on in years.</p><p>This wasn’t entirely out of character for her. She’d had days like this throughout their time together, days when she would disappear inside herself while she processed whatever it was that was troubling her, a problem at work or a difficult date on the calendar. But Scully knew most of these dates now. She anticipated the anniversary of Stella’s father’s death and even his birthday so that she could be there for Stella when she needed her.</p><p>Stella hadn’t had a bout like this in years, and the timing of it now—directly between Will’s visit and their wedding—made Scully extremely uncomfortable. Was she having second thoughts? Had something happened during Will’s visit to upset her? She’d seemed relaxed and engaged the whole time he was here. She had even seemed to enjoy showing him around at the Met.</p><p>When she turned away from Scully in bed again on Sunday night, she made a silent pact with herself as she fell asleep. If Stella hadn’t snapped out of it by tomorrow night, she would have to confront her about it.</p><p>* * *</p><p>Cause of death: Monday morning budgetary meeting.</p><p>Stella shifted uncomfortably in her seat, attempting to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her as DCI Carr droned on about cost cutting measures. A sharp pain radiated through her abdomen, and she gritted her teeth. She’d hoped to shake off whatever this was over the weekend. She’d spent two days doing absolutely fucking nothing, and she felt worse than ever.</p><p>And that meant…well, she might actually need to see a doctor, something she generally avoided at all costs. But perhaps—if she actually survived this meeting—she should confide in the doctor who shared her bed. Scully had been asking silent questions all weekend, attempting to give Stella her space while simultaneously trying to break down her walls.</p><p>Stella had fallen back on old habits, hoping to ignore the problem until it went away. But as she drew shallow, measured breaths in a conference room full of her peers to keep from doubling over in pain, she realized with sudden clarity that she had fucked up. She shouldn’t be here, pretending she was fine. She should have talked to Scully about it over the weekend. She honestly wasn’t sure why she hadn’t.</p><p>
  <em>Because I’m afraid.</em>
</p><p>She didn’t want to face the reality that something might be wrong with her, certainly not right before their wedding, so she’d attempted to will it away. And it hadn’t fucking worked. Her father’s cancer had started exactly like this. She remembered coming home from school to find him on the floor in the bathroom, clutching his stomach, agony etched into every line on his face. Days and weeks of watching him waste away before her eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Not me. Not now. Not like this.</em>
</p><p>Nausea gripped her stomach, and she blinked to clear her suddenly watery eyes. The waistband of her skirt felt as if it were razor sharp, cutting into her skin. And she was sweating. She felt the dampness on her skin, causing her blouse to stick to her.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck me.</em>
</p><p>The vise over her stomach tightened, and she lurched out of her seat, feeling as if she might have ruptured several internal organs in the process. Every head in the room swiveled in her direction.</p><p>“Sorry,” she muttered, striding from the room as quickly as she could manage without breaking into a run in front of her colleagues. Bile burned her throat as she rushed down the hall, making it to the bathroom just in time to lock herself in a stall, where she fell to her knees and vomited, emptying the meager contents of her stomach into the toilet.</p><p>Her stomach spasmed, and <em>oh God</em>, the pain.</p><p>She crouched on her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks, attempting to breathe through it while she prayed no one else was in the bathroom to see her like this. Her body shook, muscles aching with the strain of holding her together. When the worst of it had passed, she climbed to her feet, flushed the toilet, and wiped the tears from her face.</p><p>Sucking in a shaky breath, she went to the sink to wash up. She rinsed her mouth and splashed water on her flushed cheeks, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. <em>Jesus</em>. She looked like shit. She averted her eyes from her reflection. There was no way she could go back into that meeting.</p><p>The door opened, and Marisol Cardenas, Stephen’s wife, walked into the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks, giving Stella a startled look. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Stella managed a sardonic smile. “Been better.”</p><p>“Anything I can do to help?” Marisol asked.</p><p>Stella shook her head. “I think…I’m going home. Virus, maybe.”</p><p>“Good idea,” Marisol said sympathetically.</p><p>A fresh wave of pain swept through Stella, and she gripped the edge of the sink to keep herself upright. Her knees shook, threatening to give way beneath her.</p><p>“Are you okay to drive?” Marisol asked, stepping closer.</p><p>“I—” She blinked to clear her vision. No, she wasn’t.</p><p>“Look, I just ran out of a meeting to pee.” Marisol laughed self-consciously. “But I think Stephen was heading to an appointment in Pimlico around lunchtime. Maybe he could drop you at home on his way?”</p><p>It was a tribute to Stella’s miserable state that she couldn’t think of a single objection to this plan. In fact, she felt herself nodding. “I would appreciate that. Thank you.”</p><p>“Just let me…” She gestured toward the row of stalls. “I’ll send him to your office, okay?”</p><p>“Yes. Thank you.” Stella summoned her composure as she stepped into the hall. She turned toward her office, realizing as she did so that she’d left her phone and laptop in the conference room. <em>Fuck.</em></p><p>For a moment, she actually considered leaving them there, but that wouldn’t do, for any number of reasons. Taking a fortifying breath, she walked to the conference room, slipping through the door as all heads again swiveled in her direction.</p><p>“I’m very sorry,” she murmured as she began gathering her things. “I seem to have come down with something. I’m going home.”</p><p>She didn’t look up to see the eyebrows that she’d no doubt raised. In almost thirty years with the Metropolitan police, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d gone home sick, and never in her life had she left in the middle of a meeting.</p><p>She heard several iterations of “Feel better” as she ducked out of the room, walking gratefully to her office. She lowered herself into her chair, staring helplessly at her briefcase where it rested on the floor below her desk. There was absolutely no way she could bend over to retrieve it.</p><p>Stephen appeared in the doorway to her office. “Hey. You okay?”</p><p>“Not quite,” she said, swallowing past another wave of nausea.</p><p>“Stomach virus?” he asked with a sympathetic look.</p><p>“Something like that.”</p><p>“I can take you home on my way to Pimlico, if you’re ready to go.”</p><p>She nodded, rising to her feet. “I’m ready. Thank you.”</p><p>He gave her an assessing look. “Jesus, you really don’t look well.”</p><p>“Fuck you,” she managed, but there was no heat in her words.</p><p>“Don’t forget your things,” he said, gesturing to her desk.</p><p>She blinked. Things. Yes. She’d need her keys to get into the house. She cast another helpless glance at her briefcase, absolutely hating herself for having to ask. “Could you…”</p><p>He followed her gaze, bending to retrieve it for her. The look he gave her as she hastily stuffed her laptop and phone into the bag was razor sharp. “Stella, should I drive you home, or should I drive you to the hospital?”</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous.” She lifted the briefcase, leading the way out of her office. “There’s a doctor waiting for me at home, should I need one.”</p><p>“Okay.” He rested a hand against the small of her back as they left the office, quietly steadying her, and she was so grateful for it, for <em>him</em>, she could cry.</p><p>They rode the lift together to the garage, and she followed him to his car, sliding gingerly into the passenger seat.</p><p>“Don’t puke on my upholstery,” he said with a laugh as he started the engine.</p><p>“I’ll try.” She held her breath as she fastened the seatbelt. What the fuck was going on inside her that hurt this much? Even her father’s cancer hadn’t progressed this quickly. And suddenly, she was angry. She was so fucking furious with her body for betraying her this way. Why now, when she’d finally straightened out her life, finally found the courage to ask Scully to marry her?</p><p>“Hey,” Stephen said from beside her. “You’re scaring me a bit here, Stella.”</p><p>“Just nauseous. Stomach virus, remember?”</p><p>“Right. I’ll get you home as quickly as I can so that doctor of yours can take care of you.”</p><p>“Mm,” she agreed, wishing she was already there, wishing she was in her bed as Scully worked some kind of magic so that Stella felt better. Her reality was decidedly less pleasant. She gritted her teeth as Stephen drove, hardly daring to breathe for fear she would indeed puke on his upholstery. Finally, after what felt like hours, he turned onto her street.</p><p>“Want me to walk you in?” he asked as he pulled the car to a stop in front of her house.</p><p>She shook her head. “Dana’s home. I’ll be fine.”</p><p>He reached into the backseat and handed her briefcase to her. “Well, I hope it passes quickly.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she told him quietly. “I really appreciate this.”</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” he told her, and she knew he meant it. “Feel better.”</p><p>She nodded as she stepped out of the car. She let herself into the house, relief to finally be here mixing with dread over the conversation she had to have now with Scully. But there was no clatter of toenails against the hardwood floors, no dog rushing to greet her, and as it turned out, no Scully either. She must be on her daily walk with Dobby.</p><p>Stella climbed the stairs, dropping her briefcase beside the bed. With some effort, she managed to change out of her work clothes, almost crying with relief to be rid of the skirt that had caused her such pain. There wasn’t a mark on her skin, though. It hadn’t actually been cutting into her. Whatever was causing her pain, it was all internal.</p><p>Miserably, she crawled into bed. Surely, this was what dying felt like. As someone who’d stared down this particular barrel too many times to count, more than once daring fate to pull the trigger, she didn’t want that now. She had a woman, a wedding, and a life to live for. She should call for help.</p><p>But as she curled beneath the blankets, she couldn’t remember where her phone was. Scully would be home any minute, and she’d know what to do. Scully always knew what to do. Stella would fight this, whatever it was. Medicine had come a long way since her father fell ill. She’d fight, and she’d win. She closed her eyes, breathing through the pain as she waited for Scully to find her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scully finally felt herself relax about an hour into her walk with Dobby. Whatever was going on with Stella, they would get through it like they always did. Even if Stella had changed her mind about wanting to get married, it would be okay. Disappointing, but okay. Scully had never needed a piece of paper to prove their love or their commitment to each other. There were benefits to being married—emotional and legal—but they would be fine either way.</p><p>Scully let herself in through the back door, releasing a sigh as she unclipped Dobby’s leash. He trotted off toward the kitchen and then she heard the sound of him lapping water from his bowl. Following his lead, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, gulping it down as she began to think about what to have for lunch.</p><p>A small part of her wanted to surprise Stella at the office. She could bring takeout from one of Stella’s favorite restaurants, and they could talk. But it was Monday. Stella had back-to-back meetings on Mondays, a fact she grumbled about often. And besides that, she would hate being surprised at the office while she was in a mood.</p><p>Maybe Scully could surprise her with something nice for dinner instead. She could go shopping and have a romantic meal ready for Stella when she got home. But no, that might feel like an ambush. Stella would prefer it if Scully did nothing out of the ordinary at all. She just needed to be here for Stella when she was ready to talk, and to give her a nudge toward that conversation if she needed one.</p><p>Scully walked into the living room, picking up the book she’d started over the weekend. It was a thriller, and it was surprisingly good. She dropped onto the couch to read for a little while, her gaze falling to the empty dog bed in the corner.</p><p>“Dobby?” she called. “Where did you go, buddy?”</p><p>He usually stayed close by when it was just the two of them at home, but he was nowhere to be seen at the moment. She was inclined to let him be, wherever he was, but he was still too new to their home to have her full trust. For all she knew, he was upstairs chewing his way through their closet or peeing on the carpet.</p><p>“Dobby?” she called again.</p><p>His muffled whine carried down the stairs, and she couldn’t explain why, but something about the sound sent a frisson of unease through her. She stood, setting down her book, and jogged up the stairs to find him. He whined again, and she followed the sound to the master bedroom. At first, her eyes didn’t register what they were seeing, because how was Stella in bed, fast asleep in the middle of the workday?</p><p>Scully had just come in through the back, and their car wasn’t in the driveway. She gave her head a quick shake, as if it might somehow bring the scene before her into focus. But there was still Stella, buried beneath the blankets, only her golden hair visible against the pillow. And the knot of dread in Scully’s gut tightened, because this wasn’t right. Something was wrong. Very wrong.</p><p>Dobby was crouched on the floor beside the bed, and he looked up at Scully, letting out another whine.</p><p>“Stella?” Her voice came out more sharply than she’d intended, but there was no response. She was at the bed in several large steps, brushing aside Stella’s hair to touch her face, and Jesus Christ, she was burning up. “Stella,” she repeated as she sat on the edge of the bed.</p><p>For a moment, there was nothing but terrible, horrifying silence, and then Stella stirred, grimacing as she blinked up at Scully. “Dana…”</p><p>“Hey, I’m here.” She stroked Stella’s fevered cheek. “You’re sick. What’s going on?”</p><p>“Hurts,” Stella gasped, retreating beneath the blankets.</p><p>“What hurts?” Scully asked, sliding into her training as a doctor to keep herself from panicking, because she’d never seen Stella like this, not even remotely like this. “Stella, talk to me. Tell me where it hurts.”</p><p>“My stomach,” Stella whispered as tears spilled over her eyelids. “Just like my father…”</p><p>“What?” Scully struggled to follow Stella’s train of thought, but <em>fuck</em>, her father had died of stomach cancer. How long had she been hiding this? Oh God, was <em>this</em> what had been going on all weekend, when Scully thought she was having second thoughts about their wedding?</p><p>“I’m sorry, Dana.” She blinked up at Scully, her eyes bright with fever and glazed with pain. “I should have told you. I’m so sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be sorry,” Scully told her as cold fear prickled across her skin. She struggled to draw breath, refusing to fall apart at the moment when Stella needed her most. <em>Cancer</em>. Scully knew it well. She knew the fear and the pain, the horrible sickness of chemotherapy, the unbearable weakness of her body as it failed her. She knew the helplessness of watching the people she loved most cry at her bedside as they prepared themselves to lose her.</p><p>
  <em>Please don’t let it be cancer. Not Stella…</em>
</p><p>Tears rolled over Scully’s cheeks, and she swiped at them, forcing herself back into the mindset of a doctor, because they didn’t know anything yet, and even if it was cancer, they would fight it…together. “I’m going to pull the blankets back and have a look at you, okay?”</p><p>Stella nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.</p><p>Carefully, Scully tugged the blankets off her, revealing Stella curled tightly on her side, wearing a gray tank top and loose knit pants. “Can you lay flat for me?”</p><p>Stella’s jaw clenched as she slowly rolled to her back, knees still slightly raised in an attempt to curl in on herself. Her fists clenched the sheet beneath her, and she breathed in shallow gasps.</p><p>Scully moved closer, feeling the heat rolling off Stella’s body. She lifted Stella’s tank top. There was nothing visibly amiss. Stella’s abdomen wasn’t distended, although she was obviously in a world of pain. “When did this start?” Scully asked as she gingerly felt her way around Stella’s stomach, careful not to cause her more discomfort than necessary.</p><p>Stella’s brow wrinkled. “Friday? I think.”</p><p>Three days ago. Scully exhaled. There weren’t many cancers that progressed that quickly. Not to mention, Stella hadn’t reacted when Scully pressed against the epigastric region of her abdomen. Scully had allowed herself to jump to Stella’s conclusion when there was another, equally dangerous but much more treatable, explanation for her symptoms. Carefully, she pressed her fingers against the lower right quadrant of Stella’s abdomen.</p><p>Stella gasped, slapping at her hand. “Please. Hurts too much.”</p><p>Scully lifted her fingers, drawing another hiss of pain from Stella. She rolled to her side, knees drawn in, gasping for breath as tears spilled from her eyes.</p><p>Rebound pain.</p><p>“Stella, do you still have your appendix?” Scully asked, already knowing the answer to her question, because she was intimately familiar with every inch of Stella’s skin, and there were no scars on this particular part of her.</p><p>“Yes,” Stella confirmed.</p><p>“Okay. We need to get you to the hospital.” If this had been going on since Friday, Stella was in imminent danger of having her appendix rupture, assuming this was appendicitis, but Scully was almost certain that it was.</p><p>“Hate the hospital,” Stella mumbled.</p><p>“I know you do,” Scully said, squeezing her hand. “But if I’m right, you need emergency surgery, and we don’t have any time to waste.”</p><p>“No.” Stella curled herself into a ball, her face hidden beneath the golden halo of her hair. “Please.”</p><p>“Listen to me,” Scully said, making her voice as stern as she could manage when she was falling to pieces inside, terrified of losing her. “If we don’t get you to the hospital, Stella, you could die. Do you hear me?”</p><p>That got Stella’s attention. She raised her head, blinking at Scully as if she was just seeing her for the first time, as if she’d just woken from a dream. “What?”</p><p>“I’m almost positive that you have appendicitis, and you told me that you’ve been having symptoms since Friday. That means your appendix could rupture at any moment. We have to get you to the hospital and into emergency surgery.”</p><p>“Not cancer,” she said, sounding suddenly calm, almost lucid.</p><p>“No. I don’t think it’s cancer,” Scully told her. “But you are extremely ill, and we need to get you to the hospital immediately.”</p><p>Stella nodded, gripping Scully’s hands, silently asking for her help.</p><p>“Ready?” Scully asked.</p><p>Stella nodded, and Scully lifted her upright. Stella gasped, her whole body trembling as she slumped against Scully’s shoulder. “I’m not dressed.”</p><p>“You’re more dressed than a lot of people who come through the emergency room. Trust me,” she said with a mirthless laugh, pausing to think through their next steps before she got Stella all the way out of bed. “Hey, Stella, where’s our car?”</p><p>“At work. Stephen drove me home,” Stella said, still leaning against her.</p><p>“I’ll have to call an ambulance.”</p><p>Stella shook her head vigorously. “Please, no.”</p><p>“You’re in no shape to ride the Tube, and I’m not sure an Uber is a good choice right now either. Wait a minute.” She tugged her phone out of her back pocket and dialed Mrs. Pearson, the elderly woman who lived next door. “Delilah? Hi, it’s Dana. I hate to bother you, but we have a bit of an emergency over here, and I wondered if I could borrow your car.”</p><p>Quickly, she explained the situation—to her neighbor’s horror—and moments later, she had her arm around Stella, easing her to her feet. She helped her into her slippers and guided her down the stairs. Dobby darted ahead of them, still whining, and Scully made a mental note to arrange for someone to care for him if she ended up spending the night at the hospital.</p><p>Stella walked quietly beside her, her face tight with pain and terrifyingly pale, but she didn’t complain, not that Scully would have expected her to. Stella was as stoic as they came, which was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place, after all.</p><p>If only she’d told Scully about her symptoms on Friday…</p><p>But this was Stella, and old habits were hard to break. Not to mention, she was scared, and Scully was as guilty as the next person of going into denial when she was scared. Hell, she’d done some incredibly stupid things herself when she first feared she had cancer. She got Stella down the stairs and out the back door, where Mrs. Pearson waited, car keys in hand.</p><p>“Oh my heavens,” she said as she got a look at Stella.</p><p>“Thank you,” Scully told her gratefully as she took the keys. “I’ll make sure your car gets back to you later today.”</p><p>“Don’t you even worry about it,” the older woman said. “I don’t have anywhere to be until tomorrow afternoon.”</p><p>“I’ll get it back to you anyway. Thank you again.” She lowered Stella into the passenger seat and buckled her in, as Stella winced, using her hand to hold the belt away from her abdomen.</p><p>Scully dialed the hospital as she drove, requesting that someone meet them at the curb with a stretcher. “How are you doing over there?” she asked after she’d ended the call.</p><p>“The pain is worse,” Stella said quietly, eyes closed. “But appendicitis, I can handle.”</p><p>“Yes, you can.” She reached over to squeeze Stella’s hand. “You’re fit and healthy, and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”</p><p>Scully drove as fast as she dared, and ten minutes later, she pulled Mrs. Pearson’s aging Nissan into the entrance of the emergency room. Thankfully, a nurse and an orderly waited at the curb with a stretcher as she’d requested, and they immediately loaded Stella onto it.</p><p>Scully swung into the nearest parking spot and dashed through the emergency room doors, chasing the stretcher down the hall.</p><p>* * *</p><p>Beeping. Rhythmic beeping. It echoed the beating of Stella’s heart, projecting that vital sound into the world around her. Where was she? The pillow beneath her head was stiff and unfamiliar. She felt strangely disconnected from her body, everything heavy and yet not, sore but also numb.</p><p>It came back to her in blips, like the beeping of the machine. The budget meeting. Stephen’s car. Scully’s worried face peering down at her in bed. Pain. So much pain. The worst fucking pain of her life.</p><p>She opened her eyes, met with a vision from her memory. Scully leaned over her, concern etched into the wrinkles around her eyes. She’d pulled her hair into a low ponytail, a few red wisps escaping to frame her face. “Hi,” she whispered with a shaky smile.</p><p>“Hi,” Stella managed, her voice rasping and dry.</p><p>“How do you feel?”</p><p>“Drugged.” She swallowed roughly. Her mouth tasted like dust, and her lips felt like sandpaper. God, she hated the hospital. She hated being sick. <em>Sick</em>. She froze, forcing herself to meet Scully’s eyes. “Tell me.”</p><p>“You’ve just had emergency surgery. They removed your appendix. A few more hours, and it likely would have ruptured. You’re a lucky woman.”</p><p>“Appendix,” she repeated.</p><p>“You’re going to be just fine, Stella.”</p><p>She swallowed again, wincing as her throat seemed to stick to itself, it was so dry. “So, it’s not…”</p><p>“Not cancer,” Scully told her firmly as she lifted a pitcher from the table beside Stella’s bed, pouring a glass of water. She brought it to her, pressing the straw to Stella’s lips.</p><p>She sipped, sighing with relief as the cold water wet her parched throat. <em>Heaven</em>. She sucked down more water, feeling revived with each sip. When she’d finished, Scully set the cup on the table and bent to rummage through a bag beside the bed, coming up with a tube of Chapstick, which she smoothed over Stella’s cracked lips.</p><p>“Thank you,” she murmured.</p><p>“Welcome,” Scully told her with a tender smile. “What else do you need?”</p><p>“Home.”</p><p>Scully laughed, bending to press a kiss against Stella’s cheek. “You had laparoscopic surgery, which means your recovery should be fairly quick, but you’re going to have to spend the night here. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Stella groaned. “But you’re a doctor.”</p><p>“And I will leverage that fact to get you out of here as quickly as I can, but right now, you need these intravenous antibiotics.” She gestured to the tube taped to Stella’s left hand.</p><p>And now that she’d drawn Stella’s attention to it, she felt the ache of the needle where it had pierced her skin. She hated needles, hated hospitals, hated the helplessness she felt being prone in this bed.</p><p>“How are you feeling overall?” Scully asked. “Do you have much pain?”</p><p>Stella focused, taking stock of her body. The fuzziness in her brain was receding now, anchoring her to consciousness, although she still felt heavy, her senses dulled from whatever drugs she’d been given. She wore a stiff blue hospital gown, and yes, there was pain, but it was manageable. She felt a deep ache in her abdomen and a fullness in her bladder that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge just yet because the thought of moving seemed an insurmountable task.</p><p>“Better than before,” she answered Scully’s question, and it was true. Compared to the way she’d felt as she crawled home from work a few hours ago—had that really only been a few hours ago?—this was a fucking vacation.</p><p>A nurse bustled in to take Stella’s vitals and ask her far too many questions for the still-sluggish state of her brain, and then the doctor entered her room, a stern faced older man who asked yet more questions, and worse, lifted her hospital gown to inspect the incision, poking and prodding at her abdomen in the process.</p><p>She gritted her teeth. Scully slipped a hand into Stella’s, and she gripped it, holding tight to her until they’d left. As Scully tucked the sheet back into place over her, Stella closed her eyes, taking slow breaths until the pain had receded. Scully stroked her hair, and it felt so good. That was Stella’s last thought before she succumbed to the heaviness inside her as she slipped back into sleep.</p><p>When she woke, Scully was still beside her bed, reading something on her phone. Stella watched her quietly as she came to her senses, relieved that her body felt a lot more normal now than it had before, even if they weren’t pleasant discoveries. She felt the roughness of the gown, her bare ass against the sheets, the sting of her incision, and the deep ache of whatever had been done inside her. Her hand was sore where they’d inserted the IV, and now she definitely had to pee. Her bladder ached, adding to her overall discomfort.</p><p>“Hey,” Scully said with a smile, leaning over to give her a quick kiss.</p><p>Stella grumbled in response, wishing she could close her eyes again and wake up at home, that all of this had been a bad dream.</p><p>Scully fussed over her, adjusting the sheet that covered her before she moved to the other side of the bed to check the readings on the machine monitoring Stella’s vitals. “I had to pull some strings to be in here with you,” she said. “This will be so much easier once we’re married, but lucky for you, I know people.”</p><p>“Mm, lucky,” Stella agreed, because however miserable she was at the moment, it would have been so much worse without Scully at her side.</p><p>“How are you feeling? Need anything?”</p><p>“Bathroom,” Stella muttered, looking down at herself in dismay. Was she even capable of standing up right now?</p><p>“Okay,” Scully said with a brisk nod. “It’s time for you to get up and start moving anyway. The sooner we get you on your feet, the sooner we get you out of here.”</p><p>Stella stared at the door on the far side of the room that she’d need to reach, tempted to tell Scully to forget it, but of course, she’d said the one thing she knew would get Stella moving: the promise of going home.</p><p>Scully peeled the sheet down her body, then reached for something beside the bed. She came up with a pair of awful looking socks with rubber grips on the bottom, which she slid over Stella’s bare feet. She straightened, lifting the IV bag from its pole and placing it onto a stand with wheels before turning to Stella. She unclipped the monitor from Stella’s index finger, and the beeping in the room ceased. She reached over and did something to the machine, presumably deactivating it so the nurse didn’t think Stella had flatlined. “Ready?”</p><p>She nodded, realizing vaguely how grateful she was that Scully was a doctor. No matter how humiliating this was going to be, it would be less so with Scully at her side than if she’d had to summon the nurse.</p><p>Scully pressed a button, and the bed began to move beneath Stella, slowly raising her torso. She winced, bracing her hands against the mattress to support herself. The bed brought her about halfway upright, and then Scully leaned in, sliding her arms behind Stella’s back.</p><p>“Okay, on the count of three,” Scully said. “One, two, three.” She lifted Stella smoothly into a sitting position. She gasped, clutching at Scully’s shoulders as pain sliced through her gut. “Okay?” Scully asked.</p><p>Stella nodded, sucking in air. She swung her legs to the side, testing her strength as she pressed her feet against the floor. Scully slipped an arm around her, and with her help, Stella rose to her feet. Her legs shook, and her head swam, but she was up. Scully kept one arm firmly around Stella’s torso, pushing the IV stand ahead of them as she began to walk.</p><p>After a few steps, Stella felt almost human as she shuffled her way toward the bathroom. They entered together, and she released Scully, motioning for her to leave.</p><p>“Not a chance,” Scully said with a laugh. “You’re not steady enough on your feet yet for me to leave you alone, and besides, you’re going to need my help to get back up.”</p><p>“Fuck off,” Stella said, glancing at the toilet. The hell with this. She was certainly capable of taking a piss on her own.</p><p>“Stella, I’m a doctor,” she said, slightly exasperated, before a smile touched her lips. “Not to mention, I’m the woman who’s been eating you out for two decades now. There is not one inch of you that I haven’t seen before.”</p><p>Stella glared at her, gripping the IV stand for support.</p><p>“I’ve also given birth,” Scully said, “and believe me, that is way more humiliating than this, so get over yourself and do what you need to do.”</p><p>Huffing furiously, Stella made her way to the toilet. Scully watched to make sure she got there safely and then walked to the sink, fussing with her hair in the mirror. She turned on the water and made a show of washing her hands, giving Stella as much privacy as possible.</p><p>She took care of business and flushed the toilet, reluctantly forced to agree with Scully, because there was no way her freshly sliced abdominal muscles would allow her to stand on her own at the moment. Scully slipped an arm beneath Stella’s shoulders, lifting her easily to her feet, steadying her as she washed her hands and made her way back to bed.</p><p>“See? Not so bad,” she said as she got Stella settled against the sheet and hooked her back up to the machine.</p><p>“No.” In fact, she felt a lot better, and not just because she’d emptied her bladder. Her incision hurt from the activity, but the rest of her felt stronger and more sturdy now that she’d been on her feet and gotten her blood flowing. “Lay with me?” she said, patting the bed beside her.</p><p>Scully slid in with a smile, reaching up to smooth Stella’s hair back from her face. “You gave me quite a scare this morning.”</p><p>That made two of them, then. She’d succumbed to her fear of cancer and made everything so much worse. Tears welled in her eyes as she took Scully’s hand, needing to hold on to her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. It was stupid.”</p><p>“Stella, do you remember what I did when I was afraid I had cancer?” Scully said gently, resting her head on the pillow beside Stella’s.</p><p>“When you got your tattoo?”</p><p>Scully nodded. “And had sex with a psychotic man who tried to shove me into a furnace.”</p><p>Stella laughed under her breath, immediately regretting it as a sharp pain radiated through her abdomen.</p><p>“Fear makes us do stupid things,” Scully said.</p><p>Stella’s gaze dropped to their entwined fingers, her <em>bare</em> fingers. The ring… “Fuck.”</p><p>“Looking for this?” Scully asked, lifting her left hand, where Stella’s engagement ring sparkled beside her own, the way she’d worn them the morning she proposed.</p><p>She exhaled in relief. “Jesus, I thought I’d lost it.”</p><p>“They gave it to me for safekeeping before you went into surgery.” Scully slipped the ring off her hand and onto Stella’s.</p><p>She rubbed it with her thumb, surprised to realize how much a part of her it felt after only wearing it for such a short time. “Our wedding is in three weeks.”</p><p>“You’ll be fully recovered by then, or close enough,” Scully told her, something wistful crossing her expression. “I spent the weekend thinking you were getting cold feet, that you’d changed your mind.”</p><p>“No,” Stella said, hating that she’d caused Scully to worry instead of just telling her the truth. “I’d marry you right here in this hospital bed if I could.”</p><p>Scully gave her an adoring look. “Our wedding night might be disappointing.”</p><p>“I don’t know about that,” Stella told her. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not wearing anything under this gown.”</p><p>“You’re impossible,” Scully said with a laugh. “And now I know you’re feeling better.”</p><p>“I am,” Stella said, and she meant it, but better was a relative term, and her energy was already flagging. As much as she wanted to properly scandalize Scully in this hospital bed, in the end, she closed her eyes and slipped into a drug-induced sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope this makes up for yesterday - thanks for sticking with me! xx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scully led the way into the house, one arm around Stella for support, although she was fairly steady on her feet today, and in fact, already visibly annoyed at being fussed over.</p>
<p>“Where’s Dobby?” Stella asked as she shook free of Scully’s arm, walking slowly but surely down the hall on her own. She wore a loose black cotton dress that Fran had brought to the hospital for her that morning.</p>
<p>“Delilah kept him for us last night,” Scully told her. “I’ll go get him in a few minutes after you’re settled.”</p>
<p>She’d had to call in a lot of favors over the last twenty-four hours. Not only had Mrs. Pearson offered up her car and watched their dog, Fran had stopped by to pack a bag for Stella and drop off some food, and Stephen had driven their car from the police station to the hospital, and then returned Mrs. Pearson’s car to her.</p>
<p>“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Scully called as Stella passed the stairs and kept walking toward the living room.</p>
<p>“You cannot possibly ask me to get back in bed,” Stella said. “Surely it’s fine for me to be on the sofa.”</p>
<p>“If you can get comfortable on it,” Scully told her. She could fight with her about it, an argument that would be repeated endlessly over the next few days, or she could just let Stella come to terms with her current limitations on her own, which would save them both time and energy in the long run.</p>
<p>Stella lowered herself gingerly onto the couch, wincing as she leaned back against the cushions. She spent several minutes shifting about, cursing under her breath when she could not, in fact, get comfortable.</p>
<p>Scully swallowed her ‘I told you so’ with a smile. “What if you lay down upstairs for a bit, and then if you’re feeling up for it, we’ll take Dobby for a little walk later?” she suggested, because walking was good for Stella, but in the meantime, horizontal was the best position for her abdominal muscles to heal.</p>
<p>With a resigned sigh, Stella took her hands, allowing Scully to lift her to standing. “Fine, but don’t you dare think of rescinding that walk.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She walked behind Stella up the stairs and into the bedroom.</p>
<p>Stella stretched out flat in bed, looking relaxed and peaceful, and Scully exhaled in relief. It was hard to believe it had only been twenty-four hours since she’d walked into this room and found Stella curled in a ball, delirious with fever and pain.</p>
<p>“Lay with me?” she asked, extending a hand in Scully’s direction.</p>
<p>“Anything I can bring you first?”</p>
<p>Stella shook her head. “Just yourself.”</p>
<p>So Scully crawled in beside her, smiling as Stella tugged her closer, drawing her against the warmth of her body. They lay together like that for several quiet minutes, just taking comfort from each other’s presence and the knowledge that the worst was behind them. Stella was on the mend. She was going to be fine.</p>
<p>“I fucking hate being injured,” she muttered.</p>
<p>“I know you do,” Scully said, rolling to face her. She nuzzled her face into the blonde depths of Stella’s hair. “But it sure beats the alternative.”</p>
<p>“I was so scared,” Stella admitted quietly.</p>
<p>Scully knew how difficult it was for her to own her fear, and she received Stella’s admission like the gift it was. “So was I. You know, if not for Dobby, it might have been hours before I found you.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I was going to eat lunch and read on the couch. Who knows when I would have come upstairs? But he led me straight to you.”</p>
<p>“I guess I owe him one,” Stella said.</p>
<p>“I’d say we both do.”</p>
<p>Stella looked up at the ceiling. “I made a fool of myself at the station.”</p>
<p>“I doubt that,” Scully told her, but she’d gathered from talking to Stephen yesterday that Stella had been pretty violently ill at work, a fact she was surely embarrassed about now, and Scully couldn’t blame her. She’d worked hard to perfect her unflappable reputation, and it cost her pride to show a crack in her armor, especially as a woman.</p>
<p>“I really did,” Stella muttered.</p>
<p>“Well, now they know you’re human. It was about time they found out,” she teased gently. “I’d like to see any of the men in that meeting sit through even five minutes in that kind of pain. You sat there for two hours.”</p>
<p>Stella’s lips quirked. “Not one of them would have even made it to the office yesterday.”</p>
<p>“And that is the truth,” Scully agreed. “Speaking of pain, it’s really important that you take the pills they gave you on schedule to stay ahead of it.”</p>
<p>“I don’t need them.”</p>
<p>“You could power through without them, I have no doubt. But the pain will cause you to tense up, and that will delay your recovery. You have two incisions through your abdominal wall, and those muscles will heal quicker when you’re relaxed and comfortable.”</p>
<p>Stella huffed in protest.</p>
<p>“Plus, if you keep your pain managed, you’ll be able to get up and walk around more, which is also good for recovery, not to mention good for your spirits.”</p>
<p>“Fine. I’ll take them.”</p>
<p>“I really love you. You know that?” Scully wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her tight—careful to keep her arm well above Stella’s incision.</p>
<p>“I know,” Stella murmured, turning her face to Scully’s for a kiss. “And the feeling is definitely mutual.”</p>
<p>They kissed for several long minutes, long enough that Scully was starting to wonder just how far she was willing to let Stella go this soon after surgery, but apparently she was the only one thinking about sex, because Stella’s eyes began to droop, and she fell asleep in Scully’s arms, looking impossibly serene for a woman who’d suffered a life threatening medical emergency yesterday.</p>
<p>Scully lay there, holding on to her, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She hadn’t had time to react when she’d found Stella, hadn’t had time to process when they arrived at the hospital and Stella was rushed into surgery. She’d forced herself to stay in the mindset of a doctor, not a fiancée. There had been no time for her emotions or her fear.</p>
<p>But now…now she sobbed silently in Stella’s arms, clinging to her as she slept. She cried until her eyes swelled and her nose ran, until the pressure in her chest had eased and the fear had drained from her heart, leaving nothing behind but love.</p>
<p>Carefully, she reached down to cover Stella with the blanket. She really needed to go next door and get Dobby, but she was so comfortable here in bed, exhaustion crashing over her in the wake of her tears. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night at the hospital. <em>Just a little nap</em>. Lulled by the rhythmic puff of Stella’s breath beside her, she drifted into sleep.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Stella woke with a gasp, pain radiating through her abdomen after she’d apparently tried to roll over in her sleep. She breathed through it quietly, aware of Scully’s sleeping form beside her. Late afternoon sun streamed through the window, glinting in the fiery depths of her hair. Stella wanted to lay here with her forever, but despite her fatigue, she was restless to get out of bed. Also, for the first time in days, she was hungry. And the throbbing pain that still hadn’t subsided suggested it might be time for her medication.</p>
<p>She should set reminders on her phone, because while she might be inclined to skip the pain pills, there were also antibiotics, and those were important. She needed to get better—and quickly—so she could walk down the aisle in a few weeks. To her utter annoyance, though, she didn’t actually know where her phone was or if it was even charged. She hadn’t seen it since she left the office yesterday. Had she even brought it home? God, she hated feeling helpless.</p>
<p>Okay, she could do this, and she could do it on her own, because there was no way she was going to wake the sleeping beauty beside her to ask for her phone. Stella braced her hands against the mattress and managed to push herself upright, suppressing a groan as her abdominal muscles screamed in protest. She swung her feet to the floor and stood.</p>
<p>“Where do you think you’re going?” Scully mumbled from behind her.</p>
<p>“Out,” Stella told her with faux nonchalance as she strolled toward the bathroom, as if she wasn’t held together by stitches and unsure where her belongings were. She closed the door behind her for emphasis, finding Scully watching her from the bed with an amused expression when she came back out.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Sore,” Stella told her. “But much better, really.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Scully said as she climbed out of bed. “It’s time for your medication, and then I could heat up some of the soup Fran left in the fridge if you’re interested?”</p>
<p>“Fran brought soup?”</p>
<p>“Yes, and a few other things too.”</p>
<p>Stella smirked, refusing to let herself laugh because her abs were too sore. “Now I know I’m in bad shape. It’s sort of a joke between us, from when my cheek was fractured. She knows I hate soup.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Scully said, looking like she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or frown. “Well, I can make something else if you prefer.”</p>
<p>“Actually, soup does sound good. Maybe I just have to get sliced open to appreciate it.”</p>
<p>“Not funny,” Scully said, pointing a finger at her.</p>
<p>Stella squinted. Were her eyes puffy? When had she cried? Stella didn’t want to think about it or the reason for Scully’s tears. “Have you seen my phone?” she asked instead.</p>
<p>Scully shook her head. “Hopefully, it’s in your briefcase.” She reached for it where it lay beside the bed, presumably where Stella had dropped it after she came stumbling home yesterday. Scully rummaged around inside it and came up with Stella’s phone. “Needs a charge,” she said as she leaned over to plug it into the cord beside the bed.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella told her.</p>
<p>“Ready for that soup?”</p>
<p>She nodded, leading the way toward the stairs. About halfway down, her abs gave out on her, and she reached for Scully’s hand to steady herself, ridiculously grateful for her presence. Stella was breathing hard by the time she made it downstairs, but this was pain she could manage. It was pain that had been dealt with, pain that would heal, and she would try her best to follow doctor’s orders so she could get it over with sooner than later.</p>
<p>In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water, pausing as she realized she had no idea where her medication was, or what she was supposed to take.</p>
<p>Scully set two pill bottles on the counter in front of her. “One of each.”</p>
<p>Stella swallowed them dutifully and then braced her hands against the counter, hating that she was already starting to tire, because sitting upright had so far been a frustrating and uncomfortable experience.</p>
<p>“Let’s try this,” Scully suggested. She went into the living room and returned with one of the throw cushions from the sofa. “Try pressing this—gently—against your stomach when you sit.”</p>
<p>“Why would I do that?” Stella asked incredulously. It hurt just to think about.</p>
<p>“Because you’re helping to support your abdominal muscles so they don’t have to work as hard. Just try. You only need to sit long enough to eat, and then you can lay down again.”</p>
<p>“That’s ridiculous,” she complained as she let Scully guide her into the chair. But she managed to sit with a pillow in her lap, propped against the table, and eat a bowl of soup.</p>
<p>Afterward, she lay on the sofa while Scully went to get Dobby. The little dog trotted over to greet Stella, tail wagging. He sniffed at her incision through her clothes and let out a soft whine. “Lay down,” she told him, and he hopped obediently into his dog bed. She thought of what Scully had told her, how Dobby had led her to Stella, and she felt a rush of gratitude for the little dog. He must like her to have been worried about her like that, and well, she supposed she was rather fond of him too.</p>
<p>Scully settled in the chair across from her and turned on the TV. They watched a documentary about the royal family until Stella got restless, and then they took the walk Scully had promised her.</p>
<p>Scully hooked her elbow through Stella’s as they strolled down the street together. “Okay?”</p>
<p>“So much better than okay.” Stella tipped her face toward the sky, sucking in deep breaths of fresh air, feeling more alive than she had in days.</p>
<p>“I’m glad,” Scully said.</p>
<p>The walk put Stella in such a good mood, she didn’t even protest that Scully kept their arms linked the whole way. She wasn’t going to fall. She didn’t feel even remotely unsteady on her feet, but it made Scully feel better, and touching her wasn’t exactly a hardship.</p>
<p>“You should rest for a little while,” Scully said when they got back to the house, guiding Stella toward the stairs.</p>
<p>She intended to protest. She really did. But she was so tired, and their bed was so soft. She let Scully help her into it, relaxing against the sheet as she closed her eyes, drifting into an exhausted sleep.</p>
<p>When she woke on Wednesday morning, Stella could hear Scully and Dobby moving around downstairs. She lay there for several minutes, just listening to Scully murmur happily to their dog as she puttered around the kitchen. Eventually, Stella hauled herself out of bed to visit the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and washed her face, relieved at how much better she felt than yesterday.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” Scully called up the stairs.</p>
<p>“Morning,” Stella called back.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right up.”</p>
<p>Stella really wanted to go down and join her, but she couldn’t deny how much more comfortable the bed was than any of her options downstairs while her abs healed. So she lay down, and Scully came in a few minutes later with tea and toast, helping Stella to prop herself semi-upright in bed before she dropped two pills onto her palm.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella murmured. “Breakfast in bed? Careful or you’ll spoil me.”</p>
<p>“I doubt that.” Scully gave her a quick kiss and left the room, returning a minute later with a vase of colorful flowers in her arms. “You’re a very popular woman this week. Our living room is overflowing with flowers, so I figured I should bring some up for you to enjoy.”</p>
<p>“Mm,” Stella agreed, sipping her tea as she watched Scully bring vase after vase of flowers into the room. They were beautiful and immediately buoyed Stella’s sprits. She’d always loved fresh flowers. Scully set an arrangement of roses and peonies on the table beside the bed, and Stella braced her free hand against the mattress so she could lean over and smell them.</p>
<p>Her gaze fell to the card attached, reminding her that each of these arrangements had been sent by someone. Jesus Christ. How many people already knew about her surgery? It was an unsettling thought, but ultimately, it was nice to be thought of, and now her bedroom smelled lovely and fresh from all the flowers.</p>
<p>Since she was already propped up in bed, she finished her breakfast and reached for her laptop. She logged in to her work email, vaguely alarmed by the number of “get well soon” messages she’d received. Had all of these people seen her at her worst on Monday morning, or had they just heard about it through the grapevine? She’d have to check in with Stephen before she went back to the office. She owed him a thank you in any case.</p>
<p>“Enough of that,” Scully said, sliding into bed beside her. “Work can wait. You’re officially on leave, and I’m certain they can survive without you.”</p>
<p>“I’m bored,” Stella told her as she set the laptop aside. “Want to entertain me?”</p>
<p>“What do you have in mind?”</p>
<p>Stella cocked an eyebrow, sliding off the pillows she’d propped behind herself to lie flat on her back, relieving the pressure on her abs. She’d never spent so much time on her back in her life. “Make out with me, to start.”</p>
<p>“Happily,” Scully said, scooting closer, her breasts pressed against Stella’s arm.</p>
<p>Stella turned her head, bringing their lips together. Scully kissed her back with enthusiasm, tongue diving into Stella’s mouth, kickstarting her pulse, blood pumping heat and energy through her veins. <em>Yes. God, yes.</em></p>
<p>She tried to move closer, but her position was awkward. Her neck was starting to cramp, and she couldn’t reach any of the parts of Scully that she wanted to touch. “Come here,” she murmured between kisses.</p>
<p>“Stella…”</p>
<p>“I trust you not to hurt me. Just stay off my stomach.”</p>
<p>So Scully climbed on top of her, straddling Stella’s thigh. She leaned over Stella, supporting her weight on her forearms as she brought their lips back together.</p>
<p>“Mm, this is more like it,” Stella said, reaching up to cup Scully’s face as they kissed. She stroked her fingers over Scully’s perfect cheekbones and traced her lips, damp from their kisses. Her red hair hung like a curtain around her face, tickling Stella’s cheeks.</p>
<p>“Have I ever told you how much I love your freckles?” Scully asked, pressing a gentle kiss against Stella’s nose.</p>
<p>“You might have mentioned it a time or two.”</p>
<p>Scully dipped her head to kiss the freckles on Stella’s chest, making her shiver with pleasure. Stella wore only a thin cotton gown, having foregone lingerie since her surgery, and she felt her nipples tighten beneath the fabric as Scully kissed a hot, wet trail between her breasts.</p>
<p>Scully wore knit sleep shorts, still straddling Stella’s thigh. Her hips rocked subtly as she kissed her way over Stella’s exposed skin, and she sighed with pleasure, her body humming for all the right reasons.</p>
<p>“Take these off?” she asked, tugging at Scully’s shorts.</p>
<p>“Stella, we really shouldn’t,” Scully said, but the flush that spread across her cheeks contradicted her words.</p>
<p>“I’m just laying here,” she said, and it wasn’t even a lie. “I want to watch you ride me. Please?”</p>
<p>“Oh my God,” Scully said, giving Stella a look that said she was impossible, but her hips were moving a bit more now, and Stella knew she’d already won.</p>
<p>Scully hovered over her, performing a sexy little shimmy as she scooted out of her shorts, and Stella felt herself getting wetter just watching.</p>
<p>“A striptease is just what the doctor ordered,” she said appreciatively, reaching up to run her hands over Scully’s hips.</p>
<p>“A striptease, huh?” Scully said, settling herself against Stella’s thigh, and <em>fuck</em>, she was wet.</p>
<p>“Yes, please,” Stella said, heart pounding as arousal licked through her, lighting her on fire.</p>
<p>“Anything for your comfort.” Scully lifted her tank top over her head, shaking her hair over her shoulders in a move straight out of Stella’s fantasies.</p>
<p>“Anything?” she asked, hips shifting restlessly against the sheet.</p>
<p>“No moving,” Scully told her firmly. “You said you just wanted to watch.”</p>
<p>“All right,” she agreed, confident Scully wouldn’t leave her hanging, and she <em>did</em> love to watch.</p>
<p>Scully threw her head back, tits bouncing as she rocked her hips against Stella’s thigh, riding her with an intensity that told Stella she wasn’t going to last long. Stella felt a rush of arousal between her thighs in response. She slid her gaze from Scully’s pussy to her face and back, lingering everywhere in between. Unable to hold back, she slid a hand beneath her gown, touching herself. Surely this was okay, because she was still flat on her back, but somehow it wasn’t, because almost immediately, her incision began to hurt. With a frustrated sigh, she let her hand fall to her side.</p>
<p>“Touch your tits for me,” she said instead.</p>
<p>Scully reached up to pinch her nipples, whimpering in response, hips thrusting faster, and <em>fuck</em>, she was sexy. Stella watched in rapt attention as she rode her way right over the edge, letting out a sharp cry as she came.</p>
<p>“Jesus, I needed that,” she gasped as she slumped forward to give Stella a sloppy kiss. Once she’d caught her breath, she pulled back, giving Stella an assessing look. “And I can see that you do too. But no moving, okay? I mean it.”</p>
<p>“Promise,” she whispered as Scully slipped a hand between her thighs, gasping with pleasure as Scully’s fingers slid through her folds. It took all of her self-control to keep from grinding herself against Scully’s hand, not to rock her hips to the rhythm of Scully’s fingers, but Scully knew what she was doing. She worked hard and fast, giving Stella everything she needed without her having to move a muscle.</p>
<p>Stella flung an arm over her eyes, back arching just slightly as pleasure swamped her senses, need coiling hot and tight inside her.</p>
<p>“Come for me,” Scully demanded, and Stella did.</p>
<p>She swore as the orgasm rushed through her, releasing her from the limitations of her body for several long, blissful seconds. “Fuck,” she gasped. “I may need you to do that for me every day until I’m back on my feet.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?”</p>
<p>“The doctor did tell me to relax as much as possible…”</p>
<p>“Doctor’s orders, hm?” Scully said with a laugh as she slid in beside her. “I must say, I’m impressed with how seriously you’re taking your recuperation after the way you acted with your broken ribs.”</p>
<p>Stella closed her eyes, remembering the darkness that had consumed her in the wake of Spector’s attack. “Older and wiser?” she quipped, but Scully deserved her honesty, especially now, and especially after the way Stella had spiraled before her surgery. “I’m not running from anything this time. On the contrary, I’m extremely motivated to heal so I don’t have to lie flat on my fucking back on our wedding night.”</p>
<p>Scully grinned. “You may still be a little tender, but I don’t think you’ll have any limitations on your wedding night kinks.”</p>
<p>“Fucking right, I won’t.”</p>
<p>“In the spirit of recovery, anything else you need?” Scully asked, her fingers trailing up and down Stella’s arm, making her shiver with pleasure.</p>
<p>“A shower,” Stella told her. She’d been told to wait forty-eight hours, and that time was up as of this morning. Scully had helped her freshen up with a wet cloth yesterday, but she was more than ready for a proper wash.</p>
<p>“Okay.” Scully stood, holding out her hands to Stella.</p>
<p>She gripped them, allowing Scully to haul her out of bed. They stepped into a hot shower, and Stella didn’t even protest when Scully insisted on washing her, because honestly, having a gorgeous woman rub her soapy hands all over Stella’s body wasn’t exactly a hardship. Once she was clean, Scully dried her hair for her, and they took Dobby for another short walk.</p>
<p>“You know,” Stella told her as they climbed back into bed together later that afternoon. “I’m beginning to think I’ve been missing out, not letting you play doctor for me all these years.” And she wasn’t just talking about sex, either.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Tell me a story.” Scully lay on her side in bed, facing Stella, who was stretched beside her like an angel in her barely-there white gown and golden halo of curls. For two women who’d never found much time to lay around in bed before, they’d spent countless hours here this week, and it had been…wonderful.</p><p>“What kind of story?” Stella asked.</p><p>“Anything. Tell me something I don’t know about you. What were you like as a little girl?”</p><p>“I don’t think it would surprise you that I was a very serious child,” Stella said.</p><p>“Nope. That’s exactly how I pictured you,” Scully said with a soft smile.</p><p>“How else do you picture me?” Stella asked, turning the tables on her.</p><p>“Hmm.” Scully closed her eyes, imagining little Stella with her long, blonde hair, wearing an impeccably neat school uniform. “You were very smart, always the first one to raise their hand in class, and you almost always knew the right answer. You might have even been a teacher’s pet.”</p><p>“All very accurate. Go on.”</p><p>“You had a lot of unrequited crushes on the authority figures in your life, both male and female, although not all of them were unrequited. As you got older, you definitely acted on them.”</p><p>“Mm, yes I did,” Stella agreed.</p><p>“You swam a lot, even then. It’s always been your escape.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“I think little Stella spent more time reading than playing with dolls. You were very mature, more inclined to hang out with adults than other children your age. Sometimes, that made you feel lonely.”</p><p>“Fuck off. Where are you getting this from?” Stella gave her an incredulous look.</p><p>“Missed the mark?” Scully asked.</p><p>“No,” Stella said with a slight shake of her head. “It’s like you knew me.”</p><p>“I <em>do</em> know you.”</p><p>“Clearly.” Stella turned her head to give Scully a quick kiss.</p><p>“But I want to learn more,” Scully told her. She wanted to know <em>everything</em>. “Tell me something I don’t know about your childhood.”</p><p>“I played the violin,” Stella offered. “I wasn’t terribly good at it, but my father liked to hear me play, so I kept up the lessons for years after I’d gotten bored with it.”</p><p>“Can you still play?”</p><p>“I doubt it,” Stella said. “It’s been over thirty years, and I don’t think it’s like riding a bike.”</p><p>“Probably not,” Scully agreed. “What else did you and your dad like to do together?”</p><p>“Everything,” Stella said, a wistful note in her voice. “We would sit together on Sundays and read, then try to stump each other with book trivia. When I was old enough, he took me to the opera and the theater, so many museums. He inspired me to love art in all its forms.”</p><p>“That’s beautiful,” Scully told her. “I wish I could have known him.”</p><p>“Mm.” Stella gave her hand a squeeze. “Now, your turn. Tell me about little Dana.”</p><p>“Want to take a stab at it first?” she asked, curious to hear Stella’s insights into her childhood.</p><p>“All right.” She was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. “I think you and I were alike in some ways. You were also a very studious child, a know-it-all in class, and prone to infatuations with the authority figures in your life.”</p><p>“Yes on all counts,” Scully agreed.</p><p>“But I think you also liked to get dirty outside with your brothers, perhaps try to beat them in sports. You could be a bit of a tomboy.”</p><p>“Accurate,” she said with a laugh.</p><p>“Your father was a military man, so he taught you discipline. He was very strict, and his expectations for you were very high. Sometimes you wished he worked in an office like your friends’ dads did, that he would tell funny stories or play games, just be a regular dad.”</p><p>“Sometimes,” Scully admitted. “But I also admired the hell out of him. He was my hero, and for a long time, I thought I would follow in his footsteps and join the military.”</p><p>“I can see that,” Stella said. “Now tell me something about you that would surprise me.”</p><p>“I had a rebellious streak,” Scully said. “I would sneak out of bed after everyone was asleep, steal cigarettes from my mom’s purse, and smoke them in the backyard. In my teens, I snuck out and went to parties, and I sometimes got a little wild. I slept with older men and guys who were bad news.”</p><p>“Women?” Stella asked.</p><p>“Not until med school.”</p><p>“That does surprise me,” Stella admitted.</p><p>“I saved the best for last,” Scully told her, scooting closer for a kiss.</p><p>They came together on the bed, languid kisses giving way to roaming hands. They made love as if they had all the time in the world, and then they took a nap in the warm glow of the afternoon sun streaming through the window. When they woke, they dressed and went for a walk, stopping for dinner on their way home now that Stella was able to sit upright for short periods of time without pain.</p><p>On Monday, a week after her surgery, she returned to work, going in to the office for a few hours before working the rest of the day from home, a compromise Scully was intensely thankful for. Truthfully, Stella had been an unexpectedly cooperative patient this time around, and as such, she was recuperating quickly. She had definitely mellowed over the last few years, settling into the comfort of their relationship.</p><p>They both had.</p><p>Scully felt closer to her than ever in those last quiet weeks of the summer, as they lay in bed together, sharing stories and memories and making final plans for their wedding. They kept their outfits from each other as a wedding day surprise, but everything else was a joint effort.</p><p>Soon, Stella was back at work full time, none the worse for wear after her ordeal. She had to make a few concessions until her recovery was complete, including her time at the pool, which she wasn’t too happy about, but Scully still accompanied her there a few times for lazy laps and time spent in the hot tub, much as they’d done while Stella healed in 2012.</p><p>Almost before Scully knew it, they were on their way to the airport to pick up her mom. On Friday, they would be married. In some ways, it still felt surreal. She felt like she was living in a fantasy version of her life, one in which she’d reunited with her son, found her true soulmate, and would get to stand beside her on a cliff overlooking the ocean as they promised to love each other forever.</p><p>How was this her life?</p><p>Maggie rushed toward them across the terminal, looking as happy as Scully felt. She crushed Scully against her for a hug before pulling Stella in much more gently, causing Stella to roll her eyes in faux exasperation.</p><p>“It’s good to see you looking so well, Stella,” Maggie told her. “I couldn’t believe it when Dana told me about your surgery.”</p><p>“Not a fun time,” Stella said. “But I’m fine now, and Dana has enjoyed the hell out of getting to take care of me.”</p><p>“I bet she has,” Maggie said with a laugh. “Well, I’m glad she was able to put her skills to good use.”</p><p>The conversation shifted to the wedding as they walked to the car. Maggie was bursting with excitement, and it only served to further boost Scully’s spirits. They stopped at The Flying Pig for dinner on the way home, where Maggie proceeded to hassle Stella for a look at her dress.</p><p>“Who says I’m wearing a dress?” Stella deadpanned as she sipped her beer.</p><p>“Oh.” Maggie sat back with wide eyes. “I never thought of that. So, you’re wearing a suit, then?”</p><p>“I didn’t say that either.” Stella was playing with her, and it warmed Scully’s heart.</p><p>She too was dying to know what Stella would wear. She’d considered the possibility it might not be a dress, but ultimately, she’d decided that Stella’s femme side would win. She would wear something stunning and classic yet understated. And no doubt, she’d look like she’d just stepped off a fashion runway while she was at it.</p><p>Scully herself had very nearly chosen a pants suit. She rarely wore dresses. They just weren’t her style. But in the end, she couldn’t resist the chance to wear one on her wedding day, a decision which had been solidified when she stumbled across the perfect dress. It was casual and nontraditional, and it was exactly what she wanted to wear when she married Stella.</p><p>Three more days.</p><p>* * *</p><p>Stella hadn’t anticipated being nervous, but as she, Scully, and Maggie got into the car on Thursday afternoon, headed for the coast, she was fairly vibrating with restless energy. As Scully had predicted, she’d made a full recovery from her appendectomy in time for their wedding. Well, she wasn’t quite one hundred percent, but she was a solid ninety-five. Her abdomen was still tender, and she couldn’t yet lift heavy weights or swim laps.</p><p>But she could don a white dress and exchange vows.</p><p>Her throat went dry at the thought. The location Scully had found was just outside Dorset, near the famous cliffs at West Bay, a three-hour drive from London. Tonight, they would sleep in the cottages on site before their ceremony in the morning, and then Stella and Scully would spend the rest of the weekend at a fancy hotel nearby.</p><p><em>Bliss</em>. As much as she was looking forward to the ceremony, she also couldn’t wait to get that part behind them so they could just relax and enjoy each other—and the hotel’s amenities—not to mention a few things she’d brought along to spice up their weekend. Right now, though, her mind was on the two garment bags in the boot, laid carefully atop their suitcases.</p><p>“Stella, will Fran and Mitch be meeting us there?” Maggie asked from the back seat.</p><p>“Yes. They’re driving out first thing in the morning.”</p><p>“I can’t wait to finally meet them,” Maggie said.</p><p>“I’m certain the feeling is mutual,” Stella told her. She already knew they would get on famously.</p><p>Scully had insisted on driving, since Stella’s abs were still healing, but being a passenger always made her restless, and as it turned out, the long drive made her sore despite relinquishing the driver’s seat. Consequently, she was struggling with her mood by the time they finally arrived in Dorset. Scully and Maggie, on the contrary, were irritatingly happy. Stella was mostly quiet, listening to them chatter about plans for tomorrow, and if they noticed her silence, they didn’t comment.</p><p>Scully directed the car down a dirt road toward a cluster of buildings ahead, marked by a hand painted wooden sign that read Sapphire Fields. The name had been the selling point for Stella, reminding her of Scully’s ring and the color of her eyes. She could hardly wait to see them against the backdrop of the ocean tomorrow.</p><p>The sun had just slipped below the horizon as they parked. The owners, a cheerful couple named Ben and Emma, came out to greet them before showing them around the grounds. Stella and Scully would stay in the main cottage tonight, while Maggie slept in the smaller guest cottage. Tomorrow morning, Scully would get ready there with her, while Stella got ready here with Fran.</p><p>Ben and Emma had prepared dinner for them in the main cottage, leaving the three of them to dine in privacy, for which Stella was endlessly grateful. After they’d eaten, Maggie retired to her own cottage—with Scully’s garment bag in tow.</p><p>“What should we do until bed?” Scully asked, walking to the window. Outside, the sky was a deep purple as dusk faded into darkness, and Stella wished for the pool and the spa that awaited them at the hotel tomorrow night.</p><p>“Emma mentioned walking paths,” she suggested instead, because she had energy to burn after their car ride, and her nerves for tomorrow weren’t helping matters.</p><p>“Perfect,” Scully agreed.</p><p>They put on jackets and comfortable shoes and set out. The wind gusted against them as they walked, bringing with it the salty scent of the ocean. In the distance, they could hear the roar and hiss of waves pounding the shore.</p><p>“I’ve always loved the ocean,” Stella commented, one hand in Scully’s as they picked their way along the path. It was hard to see where they were going in the dark, and it appealed to her reckless side.</p><p>“Me too,” Scully said. “This place is perfect, don’t you think?”</p><p>“I do,” Stella agreed. She’d been unsure about the rustic cabin part of the adventure, but right now, she was glad for their relative solitude. The ocean would calm her, and it would provide the perfect backdrop for their ceremony. At the moment, there was nowhere in the world she would rather be than this windswept hilltop.</p><p>Scully illuminated her phone over a wooden sign with an arrow indicating that beach access was to the right. “Want to?” she asked.</p><p>“Fuck, yes,” Stella said, leading the way.</p><p>They made their way over the uneven terrain as the wind tossed Stella’s hair in her face, buffeting her body, and she felt her earlier mood dissipate, as if the wind had whipped the restlessness and the nerves right out of her. As she sucked in a lungful of ocean air, she felt alive, invigorated, and bursting with love for the woman beside her.</p><p>Eventually, they came out on a narrow strip of beach. The sand was hardpacked beneath their feet and strewn with rocks, some of which were taller than she was. Before them, the ocean pounded the shoreline in relentless waves, swirling between the rocks to form rivulets that glistened in the moonlight. This was not a beach for swimming, but it would be a stunning location for photos tomorrow, and right now, it was the perfect place to stand and just…be.</p><p>Scully turned to face her, resting her hands on Stella’s shoulders as their lips met for a windswept kiss. “This time tomorrow, we’ll be married.”</p><p>“I can’t wait,” Stella murmured against her lips as the wind whipped her hair and waves lashed the sand a few feet away, as wild as she was calm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here's some <a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/post/619736331053056000/here-is-some-visual-inspiration-for-the-cliffs">visual inspiration</a> for the cliffs where Stella and Scully are getting married. West Bay, Dorset, is also where Broadchurch was filmed, if that gives you a better idea.</p><p>I confess, when I made it this far in my first draft, I panicked and had to stop writing for a few days, because writing their actual wedding felt SO intimidating! I hope you like the way it turned out. Thanks so much for all your tweets and comments so far - they truly make my day. xx.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dammit, I broke a nail.” Scully stared at her hand in dismay.</p>
<p>“Let me see.” Her mom hurried over. “Oh, it’s your right hand. The photos will all be of your left, so you’re fine. Here, let’s file it off so it’s smooth.” She whipped a file out of her bag and smoothed over the rough spot. “Is Fran with Stella?”</p>
<p>“She should be.” Scully had left the main cabin after breakfast to get ready here with her mom, so she hadn’t seen Fran or Mitch yet this morning, but they were supposed to have arrived about an hour ago.</p>
<p>“Look,” Maggie said, lifting Scully’s hand. “You can hardly even tell now.”</p>
<p>“You’re good at this,” she said gratefully.</p>
<p>“Well, I raised four children, so I’ve had some practice patching things.”</p>
<p>“I’m so glad you’re here, Mom.”</p>
<p>“Me too, honey, so glad.” Tears shone in Maggie’s eyes. “I thought my chance to be Mother of the Bride had passed.”</p>
<p>“I’ve been thinking about Missy a lot,” Scully admitted. “Wishing she was here.”</p>
<p>“She is here,” Maggie told her, reaching out to touch the cross pendant at Scully’s throat. “She’s in our hearts, and she’ll be watching over you today. So will your father.”</p>
<p>Scully nodded, swiping at a tear.</p>
<p>“None of that now,” Maggie said, wiping away tears of her own. “We’ve just finished your makeup.”</p>
<p>“Good thing my mascara’s waterproof, because these are definitely not the last tears I’m going to shed today.” She gave her mom a watery smile.</p>
<p>“I was just thinking the same thing.”</p>
<p>They exchanged a long hug, and then it was time to get dressed. Maggie went into the bathroom first to put on her dress. It was floor length and navy blue, as classic as Maggie herself.</p>
<p>“You look beautiful, Mom.”</p>
<p>“Thank you. Now go put yours on, because I can hardly wait to see it on you.”</p>
<p>Scully nodded, unzipping the garment bag to take out her dress. She’d been nervous to show it to her mom at first, afraid she might be disappointed that it wasn’t white, but Maggie had exclaimed that the color was perfect for her seaside wedding.</p>
<p>She went into the bathroom now, shedding her robe before she slipped into the dress. She tugged it into place and pulled the zipper as far as she could get it, exiting the bathroom to let her mom help her with the last few inches and fasten the clasp at the top.</p>
<p>“Now let me see you,” Maggie said, spinning Scully to face her. Her eyes welled with fresh tears. “Oh, Dana.”</p>
<p>Scully smoothed her hands over the front of the dress. “It’s for Stella. She’s always telling me blue is my color.”</p>
<p>“And she’s not wrong,” Maggie said. “It matches your eyes. Oh, it’s just gorgeous.” Tears spilled over her cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s your wedding day. Dana, I am just so happy for you, I don’t have words.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Mom.” She couldn’t quite believe it either. This wasn’t a day she’d thought would happen for her, for any number of reasons. Neither Mulder or Stella were really the marrying type, and Scully wasn’t either, for that matter. It hadn’t made sense for her…until it did.</p>
<p>Maggie lifted her phone to snap a few pictures of Scully in her wedding dress, and then they posed for a mother-daughter selfie.</p>
<p>Scully glanced at the clock. She had about an hour until the ceremony. “I promised to FaceTime Will in my dress so he could see.”</p>
<p>“It’s a shame he couldn’t be here,” Maggie said.</p>
<p>“Yes and no. It might have been a bit much for where we are in our relationship right now, and anyway, he’s just started his first semester of college.”</p>
<p>“Is that Fran?” Maggie asked, pointing to a woman about her own age with short brown hair who stood on the lawn talking to the photographer.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Scully confirmed. As they watched, Fran bustled off in the direction of the owner’s house, striding across the lawn in her gray pants suit. Fran was a force of nature, much like her protégé, Stella.</p>
<p>“Well, who’s with Stella, then?” Maggie asked.</p>
<p>“Fran’s helping to oversee the vendors for us. Stella’s fine, Mom. You know how she is. She likes to do these things on her own.”</p>
<p>“Nonsense,” Maggie insisted. “Every woman needs to be fussed over a little bit on her wedding day. I’m going to go and check on her.”</p>
<p>Scully grinned, picturing it. There were certain rare occasions where—despite her protests—Stella secretly enjoyed being fussed over, and this just might be one of them. “On second thought, yes, go to her. And give her a kiss from me.”</p>
<p>“On the cheek,” Maggie said with a laugh. “Go on and dial Will so I can say hello before I head over.”</p>
<p>“Okay.” Scully blew out a breath, calming her nerves before she pressed the little icon next to Will’s name. His smiling face appeared on her screen almost immediately.</p>
<p>“Hi, Dana!” he said cheerily. “Oh, and hi, Maggie.”</p>
<p>“Hello, honey. It’s so good to see your face,” Maggie told him, waving over Scully’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Your dress is blue,” he commented.</p>
<p>“Yes. What do you think?” she asked, holding the phone out so he could see her full outfit.</p>
<p>“I think it’s really cool. I like it.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she told him.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’m going to go check on Stella. Great to see you, Will.” With a wave, Maggie left through the front door.</p>
<p>“Is Dobby there with you?” Will asked.</p>
<p>“No, he’s with a sitter this weekend.” Scully smiled at her son, love overflowing in her heart to have him here—even virtually—on her wedding day.</p>
<p>“You look really pretty, Dana,” Will said. “Good luck today, and send me pictures later.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely.” She swiped at a tear. “I love you.”</p>
<p>“Love you too.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this one is so short, but I'll have more up for you very soon! xx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/post/186250299898/two-worlds-collide-chapter-6">Visual inspiration for Stella's friend, Fran</a> (Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens in Killing Eve)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stella planted her hands on her hips, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her robe hung open at her sides, revealing her white lace thong and the two small red lines on her lower abdomen that she still hadn’t quite gotten used to. They would fade with time, Scully had assured her, although they didn’t exactly bother Stella. She wasn’t ashamed of any of her scars, not even the ones she’d given herself. They all told a story. But the surgical scars were new, a part of her that she was still getting to know.</p>
<p>She touched them gently and then turned to the dress hanging on the hook behind the door. It was time. She slipped out of her robe and swapped it for the dress on the hanger, belatedly realizing she wouldn’t be able to zip it on her own. Where was Fran, anyway? The last time Stella had seen her, she was off bossing people around…in other words, being Fran.</p>
<p>Stella was so glad that Fran was the one out there dealing with all the details, not her or Scully, but right now, she could have used her help. She pictured Scully and Maggie in the cabin across the lawn, sharing laughter and tears as they got dressed together, and she felt an unfamiliar tug of loneliness in her chest.</p>
<p>What would it have been like if her own mother were here? Nothing like the scene she had just imagined. No, Stella’s mother would have made this morning about herself, preening before the mirror and chastising Stella for her choices.</p>
<p>She huffed as she slipped into the dress, spinning to survey the zipper in the mirror. Maybe, if she weren’t injured, she could have contorted her arms to get the job done. Instead, she stood there in her unzipped wedding dress, tears pooling in her eyes, and she didn’t even know why they were there. Perhaps weddings turned even the most hardened Chief Superintendent into an emotional mess.</p>
<p>She’d text Fran and ask her to pop in. There. Problem solved.</p>
<p>Stella left the bathroom in search of her phone, stopping in her tracks as she heard a knock at the door. That was probably Fran now. Quickly, she crossed the room, pausing before she opened the door on the off-chance Scully had come over for some reason. They’d agreed not to see each other in their dresses until just before the ceremony. “Who is it?” she called.</p>
<p>“It’s Maggie.”</p>
<p>Maggie? Stella’s brow furrowed. What was she doing here? Regardless, Maggie could zip a dress. Stella opened the door with a grateful smile, waving her in.</p>
<p>“Oh my,” Maggie said as Stella shut the door behind her, a delighted smile on her face. “Look at you! You look stunning in that dress, Stella. Dana is going to fall all over herself when she sees you.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella told her. “Could you help me zip it?”</p>
<p>“Of course I can.” Maggie stepped behind her, and Stella felt the zipper slide up her back, pulling the dress into place on her body. Maggie fastened the clasp at the top before stepping back. “Just gorgeous. And here you had me convinced you were going to wear pants.”</p>
<p>“Did you need something?” Stella asked, still not quite sure why she was here.</p>
<p>“Just to see you,” Maggie told her with a warm smile. “I wanted to check in and see if you needed anything.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m fine,” Stella assured her. “Except for the zipper.”</p>
<p>“Well, now that I’m here, you’re going to have to let me fuss over you for a few minutes,” Maggie told her, reaching in to pluck a blonde hair from the shoulder of Stella’s dress.</p>
<p>And somehow, that simple gesture seemed to unravel her. Tears blurred her vision, and a lump rose in her throat. What was wrong with her today?</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought.” Maggie pulled her in for an unexpected hug.</p>
<p>Stella braced herself to pull away. She’d never been a hugger—except with Scully—but somehow, she felt herself hugging Maggie back, wrapping her arms tightly around her as she wrestled with her emotions.</p>
<p>“Wedding days are for crying,” Maggie said, one hand rubbing up and down Stella’s back. “Happy tears, of course. I hope you’re wearing waterproof mascara.”</p>
<p>“I hope I am too,” Stella whispered. She held on to Maggie for another moment as her tears broke free, spilling over her cheeks, before she finally stepped back.</p>
<p>“Oh, honey, look at you.” Maggie reached into her purse and handed her a tissue. “So in love you’re overflowing with it.”</p>
<p>Was that what this was? Stella dabbed at her tears, dismayed at the makeup stains on the tissue.</p>
<p>“Come on. I’ll touch you up.” Maggie led the way into the bathroom, indicating for Stella to sit on the toilet.</p>
<p>She did, holding herself still as Maggie patted her cheeks with the makeup sponge, smoothing out her foundation. Stella closed her eyes, taking slow breaths, calmed by Maggie’s soothing touch. This was where Scully’s kind heart came from. Stella tried to remember the last time anyone other than Scully had cared for her like this and came up empty.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she whispered as Maggie stepped back to survey her work.</p>
<p>“Absolutely my pleasure. You’re perfect, no thanks to my makeup skills,” Maggie said with a laugh. “It would seem that you’re indeed wearing waterproof mascara.”</p>
<p>“That’s good news.” She stood, smoothing her hands over her dress.</p>
<p>The front door of her cabin opened, and Fran’s voice called, “Stella?”</p>
<p>And she almost laughed for having assumed Fran would knock in the first place. “In here.”</p>
<p>Moments later, Fran appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, giving Maggie an assessing look before extending a hand. “Fran Kingsley.”</p>
<p>Maggie took it. “Maggie Scully. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”</p>
<p>“Likewise,” Fran told her. “I’m quite fond of your daughter, Maggie. A fine woman you’ve raised.”</p>
<p>Maggie beamed at the compliment. “Thank you. Stella always speaks so highly of you. I was hoping to meet you before the ceremony.”</p>
<p>Fran turned to Stella, as if just truly noticing her. “My God, Stella. You are a beautiful bride. Stunning.”</p>
<p><em>Bride</em>. Fresh tears welled in Stella’s eyes.</p>
<p>“And an emotional one,” Maggie said gently, handing Stella another tissue.</p>
<p>“You don’t say.” A smile turned the corners of Fran’s lips. “I believe our dear Stella has finally met the day where she can’t hide behind that bulletproof mask she wears to work.”</p>
<p>“Fuck off, both of you,” Stella said, dabbing at her eyes as she led the way out of the bathroom.</p>
<p>“I knew the first time I saw them together, you know,” Fran told Maggie behind her. “I told her Dana was the one she ought to hold on to. Lucky for all of us, she took my advice for once.”</p>
<p>Maggie laughed delightedly. “Stella is lucky to have you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, she sure is,” Fran agreed, giving Stella a firm pat on the back.</p>
<p>“I am,” she couldn’t help saying. In fact, she was incredibly lucky to have <em>both</em> of these women in her life.</p>
<p>“I’ve got everything all squared away out there,” Fran told her. “The photographer is ready, the florist will be dropping off your bouquet momentarily, and the owners assure me our dinner will be ready as planned.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella told her, then turned to Maggie. “Where is Dana?”</p>
<p>“She’s FaceTiming with Will,” Maggie said. “But I suppose I should get back over there.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Stella agreed. As much as she enjoyed having Maggie in her cabin—and she truly did—she didn’t like the idea of Scully being alone.</p>
<p>“Anything else you need?” Maggie asked her.</p>
<p>“No,” Stella told her. “Thank you again.”</p>
<p>Maggie pulled her in for another hug. “Don’t mention it. I’ll see you in a few minutes for the main event.”</p>
<p>Stella nodded, blinking back more tears as Maggie left her cabin.</p>
<p>“Lovely woman,” Fran commented.</p>
<p>“She is,” Stella agreed. “Where’s Mitch?”</p>
<p>“He’s at the main house, talking Ben and Emma blue in the face, I imagine,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll fetch him before the ceremony.”</p>
<p>Stella nodded. She turned toward the window, looking out at the flower-laden arbor visible in the distance, standing just before the fence guarding the cliff. The sea breeze whipped through the colorful blooms, creating a beautiful visual.</p>
<p>Behind Stella, her phone dinged with an incoming text. She turned and picked it up.</p>
<p>
  <em>I love you. xxx</em>
</p>
<p>It was from Scully. Warmth spread through Stella’s chest.</p>
<p><em>Love you too. See you in a few minutes. xx</em>, she replied.</p>
<p>“Oh, you two are disgusting,” Fran said with a fond smile as she caught sight of Scully’s name on Stella’s display. “Mitch and I were just the same. I don’t have to tell you this, but Dana is the one for you. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”</p>
<p>“I know.” Stella swiped at her eyes.</p>
<p>“I don’t do this emotional bullshit,” Fran said briskly. “But I hope you know how happy I am for you and what an honor it is for me to perform your ceremony.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella told her, hoping her eyes conveyed her sincerity, because she couldn’t exactly recall ever hugging Fran, but she was so glad for her presence right now, she might—and likely would—cry.</p>
<p>“Oh look, here’s the florist.” Fran turned and flung open the door to Stella’s cabin, inviting a petite woman inside. She held a small bouquet of pink peonies, which she handed to Stella with a shy smile.</p>
<p>“Congratulations,” the florist said. “You look gorgeous in that dress.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Stella told her, somewhat fatigued by all the compliments that had been thrown at her over the course of the last ten minutes or so. Thank God wedding days came once in a lifetime, at least where she was concerned.</p>
<p>The florist left, and Stella looked down at the bouquet in her hands. Peonies were her favorite, the pink ones especially. She’d left the flowers to Scully, and of course, they’d turned out perfectly.</p>
<p>Fran glanced at the clock on the wall. “I suppose it’s time for me to go find Mitch. Will you be all right here alone until the ceremony?”</p>
<p>Stella nodded. “I will.”</p>
<p>“Okay then.” Fran strode to the door but paused before she opened it. She turned back to Stella, then crossed the room and drew her into a quick hug. “I’ll see you out there.”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Stella squeezed her tightly before pulling back. “Thank you, Fran. Truly, the honor is mine.”</p>
<p>“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Fran said, blinking rapidly. “Don’t you dare make me cry.”</p>
<p>“It’s what wedding days are for, according to Maggie.”</p>
<p>“I’ll blame her, then,” Fran said, waving over her shoulder as she sailed out the door.</p>
<p>Stella stood there for a moment in the silence left behind. She sucked in several slow, deep breaths as she watched Fran cross the lawn toward the main house. Moments later, she reappeared, pushing Mitch’s wheelchair over the grass toward the arbor.</p>
<p>Stella closed her eyes, grateful for a moment alone to calm herself. She wouldn’t get much time to herself today. In fact, this might be it. Not that she was complaining. Today would be wonderful, but for this moment, she reveled in the silence, letting it fill her, quieting the chaos in her brain.</p>
<p>After a long minute, she shook herself out of her stupor and walked to the bathroom to make sure she was ready. She freshened up and then spent a few minutes in front of the mirror, touching up her hair and makeup. She stared at her reflection.</p>
<p>
  <em>Here goes nothing.</em>
</p>
<p>She checked the time. Two minutes until she would meet Scully outside. They would meet on the lawn and walk to the arbor together. As she glanced out the window, she saw Fran, Maggie, and Mitch already gathered, waiting for them.</p>
<p>A burst of nerves raced through her stomach, leaving her tingly from head to foot. Before she could second guess herself, she picked up her phone and dialed Scully.</p>
<p>“Stella, what are you doing?” she answered, sounding breathless.</p>
<p>“Just needed to hear your voice.”</p>
<p>“You okay?” Scully asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, but I’ll be even better once I’ve seen you. Ready?”</p>
<p>“I’m ready,” Scully confirmed. “Hang up the phone and meet me outside.”</p>
<p>Stella ended the call and set down her phone. She sucked in a steadying breath as she picked up her bouquet and opened the door. On the other side of the lawn, Scully stepped out of Maggie’s cabin, and they faced each other across the expanse of grass.</p>
<p>
  <em>Blue.</em>
</p>
<p>That was the first thought that crossed Stella’s lovestruck brain. Scully’s dress was sapphire blue, strapless and form-fitting, falling to her knees with a chiffon overlay that gusted with the breeze, absolutely the most gorgeous thing Stella had ever seen. Scully carried a bouquet identical to Stella’s, the pink peonies perfectly offsetting her blue dress.</p>
<p>Stella’s feet were already moving, walking toward her, not stopping until her lips were pressed against Scully’s. “You’re stunning.”</p>
<p>“So are you. Oh, Stella.” Scully stared adoringly at her out of tear-filled eyes, and Stella’s heart was so full, she thought it might burst.</p>
<p>“I love you.” She leaned in, resting her forehead against Scully’s, vaguely aware of the clicking of a camera shutter somewhere but too overcome with emotion to mind that they had an audience.</p>
<p>“I love you so much,” Scully whispered back. “There aren’t words to describe how happy I am right now.”</p>
<p>“I know.” Stella nodded, her lips seeking Scully’s. “It’s how I feel too.”</p>
<p>“Shall we do this, then?” Scully murmured against her lips.</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Let’s get married.” Scully linked her arm through Stella’s, and together, they walked toward the flower-laden arbor where Fran, Mitch, and Maggie waited.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have to admit, this scene with Stella, Maggie, and Fran is one of my favorites. Maybe I just love seeing Stella cared for by people who love her 🥰</p>
<p>Only 1 chapter left!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Visual inspiration for <a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/post/616864737020592128/im-about-to-start-writing-the-follow-up-to-two">Stella's dress</a>: It's the one Gillian wore to the LA premiere of The Crown. As soon as I saw her in it that night, I knew it would be Stella's wedding dress ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It is my distinct pleasure to pronounce you married,” Fran announced. “Stella and Dana, you may now kiss your bride.”</p><p>Scully looked at Stella, wanting to absorb and memorize every detail of this moment. Stella wore a one-shouldered ivory velvet dress with chiffon edging the top and billowing across her back. It was gathered at the waist, clinging to every gorgeous curve of her body, reaching just below the knee. She’d paired it with strappy bronze heels, her hair blowing loose over her shoulders, and she was…a vision.</p><p>Scully was certain she’d never seen anything as lovely in her life, and she could hardly believe this amazing, gorgeous woman was now legally her wife.</p><p>Stella stared at her, love brimming in the blue depths of her eyes. She leaned in, and Scully met her halfway, cupping Stella’s face in her hands as she brought their lips together for their first kiss as married women.</p><p>Behind them, Maggie, Fran, and Mitch clapped and whooped their approval.</p><p>It was perfect, possibly the most perfect moment of her life. She closed her eyes, absorbing the warm press of Stella’s lips against hers, the ocean breeze on her face, the grass tickling her toes, and the roar of the waves below.</p><p>This was happiness. This was love. This was forever.</p><p>She opened her eyes, meeting Stella’s gaze, seeing her future reflected in those crystalline depths. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”</p><p>“Forever,” Stella said, echoing her thoughts. She radiated peace today, perhaps the most serene Scully had ever seen her, as if she’d been waiting for this moment all her life.</p><p>And while the idea of Stella Gibson standing before her in an ivory dress, gold band freshly placed on her finger, might have seemed preposterous once upon a time, today it felt inevitable, as if she’d been careening toward this moment since the day twenty-one years ago when she’d first laid eyes on Stella, icy and aloof at that vampire-inspired crime scene.</p><p>“Hello, Mrs. Scully,” she teased, knowing full well neither of them would change their name.</p><p>“And you, Mrs. Gibson,” Stella shot back, laughter in her eyes.</p><p>Fran snorted behind them, and click click click, their photographer captured every moment.</p><p>Unable to help herself, she leaned in again, capturing Stella’s lips for another kiss. “We really did it.”</p><p>“We did.” Stella’s arms came around her, anchoring her against the firm expanse of her body, healthy and whole, as strong as she’d ever been.</p><p>Once she’d finally released her, Maggie joined them for a group hug, and then they turned toward the photographer to smile for an official wedding portrait. They posed for a series of photos in front of the arbor, just the two of them and then in every combination with Maggie, Fran, and Mitch before they left their guests to walk down to the beach, just Stella, Scully, and their photographer.</p><p>Scully heard the snap of the camera behind them as she gripped Stella’s hand, picking her way down the path to the beach. She stumbled over a clump of sea grass, clutching Stella’s arm with a laugh, drunk off sheer joy. Stella wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as they made their way onto the beach. Sand sucked at her heels, miring her in its soggy grip.</p><p>In silent agreement, they toed out of their shoes, padding barefoot over the cool sand as the photographer captured every moment. They turned to each other for another kiss, as the chiffon back of Stella’s dress billowed in the sea breeze. After several unscripted minutes, the photographer posed them for their official shots, and then she left them to their own devices.</p><p>Alone on the beach, Scully stared at Stella, hands clasped, wanting to freeze this moment and live in it for the rest of her life. But she didn’t have to, because their future loomed endless and bright before them.</p><p>“Do we really have to go up there and socialize, or can I whisk you off to the hotel now?” Stella asked.</p><p>“Funny,” Scully told her. “I believe we’ve promised them dinner.”</p><p>“I suppose I can behave myself for that long,” Stella said. “But all bets are off once we make it to the hotel.”</p><p>“As expected.” Scully’s pulse quickened just thinking about it.</p><p>“It was perfect,” Stella said, reaching out to tuck a lock of Scully’s hair behind her ear, only to have it whipped back in her face by the relentless sea breeze.</p><p>“It really was. I mean, it sounds like a cliché, but I wouldn’t change a moment.”</p><p>“Neither would I,” Stella told her, the sincerity of her words reflected on her face.</p><p>“Shall we stick our toes in?” Scully jerked her head toward the ocean. “I mean, it must be good luck or something, right?”</p><p>“I have no idea, but you know I’ll do it.” Stella kept one hand clasped in Scully’s as she led the way toward the surf, never having declined a challenge in her life.</p><p>They stepped carefully toward the surf line. The sand here was ice cold and hard packed beneath her toes, glistening in the sunlight. Scully stopped, tightening her grip on Stella’s hand as she waited for the ocean to come and claim them. The next wave rolled in, engulfing their toes in its frigid grip, sucking at them before it retreated into the endless depths of the ocean.</p><p>“Fuck me, that’s cold,” Stella gasped with a laugh as she tugged her feet out of the sand.</p><p>“Been there, done that,” Scully agreed, backtracking before the next wave arrived.</p><p>They picked up their shoes and brushed wet sand from their feet as they walked hand in hand toward the trail leading to the top of the cliff. Above their heads, an intimate dinner awaited in the comfort of their cabin, with only their nearest and dearest in attendance, the perfect end to the perfect day.</p><p>The ocean roared behind them as they stepped onto the path, pausing for a kiss.</p><p>* * *</p><p>“Finally,” Stella murmured against Scully’s lips as she guided her into the welcome darkness of their hotel room. The ceremony had been perfect, and dinner afterward was lovely, if a bit too slow for Stella’s taste. Fran and Mitch were currently driving back to London with Maggie in tow, and Stella <em>finally</em> had Scully all to herself.</p><p>She looked at the gold band nestled beside the diamond ring on her finger and then at the woman in front of her. Her wife. Tears slipped over her cheeks as she pressed Scully against the wall, kissing her deeply.</p><p>“Today was everything,” Scully whispered, back arching so that her hips pressed against Stella’s.</p><p>“And tonight will be everything else.” Stella ran her hands over that blue dress, thrilled with the freedom to finally touch every gorgeous inch of it.</p><p>“God, I love you.” Scully gave her another kiss before breaking free, leading the way further into the room. She turned on the lamp to reveal a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice. As Stella watched, she popped the cork and poured two glasses, handing one to Stella.</p><p>“To my wife,” she said.</p><p>“And the first day of the rest of our life,” Scully responded with a smile, tapping their glasses together.</p><p>“You rhyme. I’ll drink to that.” Stella sipped the cold, frothy liquid.</p><p>Scully pressed herself into Stella’s arms. “After everything we’ve been through, nothing will ever tear us apart.”</p><p>“Nothing,” Stella agreed. This was it for her. She’d known it years ago, long before she was ready to admit it, even to herself. Almost from the moment they’d met, she had known Scully was the one, the <em>only</em> one Stella was capable of committing herself to this way. She downed her glass, feeling the golden liquid fizz in her stomach, filling her with warmth.</p><p>Scully sipped her own drink more delicately before taking both glasses and setting them on the table. Stella was on her in a moment, flattening her against the bed as she crawled on top of her, kicking off her shoes as she moved.</p><p>“Yes,” Scully murmured, warm and pliant beneath her.</p><p>“This dress.” Stella slid a hand down the front of it until her fingers met Scully’s bare skin. “I love it.”</p><p>“Not as much as I love yours,” Scully countered, fingers landing on Stella’s hips, dragging her closer. “Stella, the vision of you in a white dress on that beach…it’s possibly all I’ll think about for the rest of my life.”</p><p>“How about me in that white dress, on top of you?”</p><p>“Fuck,” Scully gasped, back arching.</p><p>“Yes.” Stella stroked her through her panties, delighted with how wet Scully already was.</p><p>“Don’t tease me,” Scully said breathlessly. “Not tonight.”</p><p>“No?” Stella removed her hand, rocking her hips against Scully’s, velvet against chiffon, white against blue, wife against wife.</p><p>“No.” Scully reached behind Stella, fingers locating the zipper at the back of her dress. Deftly, she undid the clasp and pushed it down Stella’s back with a metallic hiss, her fingers sliding over Stella’s bare skin. “Are you wearing anything under this dress, Stella?” she asked, sounding scandalized.</p><p>“You’ll soon find out.” But first, she returned the favor, unzipping Scully’s dress and sliding the bodice down to reveal a pale blue strapless bra beneath it.</p><p>“Daring,” Scully said as she cupped Stella’s breasts over her dress. “Going braless on your wedding day.”</p><p>“Was it?”</p><p>“Maybe not for you,” Scully admitted, transferring the attention of her roaming hands to Stella’s bare thighs. She slid her fingers over Stella’s skin until they’d reached her thong. “Lace,” she whispered.</p><p>“For you.”</p><p>“My favorite.” Scully stroked her through the lace, and Stella understood her impatience. She couldn’t wait either, not tonight. As it turned out, wedding nights were a huge fucking aphrodisiac.</p><p>“Hurry,” she whispered as she pushed Scully’s dress to her waist, helping her wiggle out of it before pressing her hips firmly against Scully’s.</p><p>“Try and stop me,” Scully responded as she slid Stella out of her dress, both garments landing on the chair beside the bed to be dealt with later, leaving them in only their underwear, bodies moving together in hot, wet anticipation.</p><p>“Fuck, I need you,” Stella gasped, almost overwhelmed by the strength of the desire pulsing through her, throbbing in her core and pumping warmth through her veins with each frantic beat of her heart.</p><p>Scully gripped her ass, moving against her, grinding them together, white lace against blue, equally wet, equally desperate. And then they were pushing at each other’s underwear, stripping them away to bring their bodies together the way Stella craved, her soul meeting Scully’s as their bare skin pressed together.</p><p>“I love you,” she whispered.</p><p>“Love you too,” Scully murmured, hands tugging Stella’s hips closer, threading their legs so that their pussies pressed together.</p><p>Stella threw her head back in pleasure, arousal chasing love through her veins, pulsing in her core and radiating through her heart, the most wonderful feeling in the world. They moved together in practiced ease, gasping as they chased each other over the edge. Scully broke first, writhing beneath Stella as she found release.</p><p>Stella ground herself against her, whimpering as her orgasm crested, washing through her in blissful waves, as powerful as the ocean where they’d stood just hours ago. Afterward, they lay together, arms and legs entwined, Stella’s face pressed into the welcome warmth of Scully’s neck.</p><p>“Not tired, I hope,” she murmured against Scully’s skin. “The night is young, after all, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”</p><p>“Wide awake,” Scully whispered.</p><p>“Glad to hear it.” Stella glanced past her at the vaguely bluish light drifting through their window, shifting with the reflection of the pool beckoning below.</p><p>“This weekend will be magical,” Scully said. “But don’t forget, sometime after we’re back home, you owe me a real honeymoon.”</p><p>Stella smiled, burying her face in the crimson depths of Scully’s hair. “I won’t forget.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, here we are! Stella and Scully are married, and we've reached The End again - for now, at least. I hope you enjoyed reading Never Tear Us Apart. I certainly loved writing it and getting to see them through their wedding day. I suppose it's inevitable at this point that I'll end up writing their honeymoon, right? 😉</p><p>In the meantime, the next work in this series is already written, so if you haven't read it yet, check out <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323150/chapters/55867678">When This Is Over</a>, which is set about six months after their wedding, when Stella and Scully are quarantined at home together during a global pandemic.</p><p>Thank you all so much for reading, and for all your lovely comments and messages. I truly can't tell you how much it means to me! xx</p><p>~ Rachel</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come say hi on <a href="https://twitter.com/rachelslacey">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://crescentmoon223.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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